Interaction with stakeholders

Based on high-impact topics, we regularly seek to identify suitable parties for dialogues with Alliander. Engagement, size, willingness for dialogue, and expertise are crucial considerations in this respect. We aim to share issues, create support for initiatives, build trust, and devise solutions with added value, both for the short and long term. We talk to customers about their energy requirements on a daily basis. Our shareholders join us into looking at how we remain financially stable in the long term and how we can fund our investments. And together with our employees we look how we can be an employer that matters. We look at ways in which processes, laws and regulations need to be changed in cooperation with market players, regulators and policy makers. Together with all our stakeholders, we are moving forward towards the energy supply of the future.

We consider anybody or any group that is affected by our activities or that has an influence on our organisation or services to be our stakeholders. We keep a constant check on who our stakeholders are. Whether on projects or concerning certain topics, they may have a relevant contribution to make and therefore we involve them. The nature of a number of our relationships with stakeholders is governed by the statutory and regulatory environment (government ministries, politicians, and industry regulators) and by cooperation in the supply chain (energy sector) and also by the public nature of our service (customers, municipal authorities, media, and pressure groups). Responsibilities relating to stakeholder management are assigned, specifically to business units and staff who then maintain the relevant relationships. The Corporate & Social Affairs department coordinates strategic stakeholder management and decides which organisations and stakeholder representatives we actively engage with.

The Alliander stakeholder model comprises three stakeholder groups. A distinction is made between:

Core stakeholders: customers, employees, shareholders and investors, and local and regional authorities in our service area.
Other stakeholders: suppliers, knowledge institutions, regulators and social sector organisations, etc.

Stakeholder touchpoints

We conduct the dialogue with stakeholders on both a regular and ad hoc basis. This includes the organisation of customer panels and shareholder consultations as well as meetings with the Works Council. Supplier days, knowledge and partner meetings, and participation in network organisations are important forms of stakeholder communication. The draft version of our annual report is shared and discussed with a panel of external stakeholder and transparency experts. The impressions regarding the draft 2023 annual report were shared directly with the Management Board.

Contact with policymakers

Alliander maintains contact with policymakers to ensure a future-proof legislative framework that facilitates the Dutch energy infrastructure. Such contact consists primarily in liaising with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy as the body responsible for the Netherlands’ energy supply policy. In addition, we promote Alliander’s interests through contacts with other government ministries, Dutch parliament, political organisations, and interest groups. For a complete list, please refer to the stakeholder table.

In these contacts, Alliander is represented by its Management Board and supported by the Corporate & Social Affairs department. To garner broader support for proposals, Alliander coordinates its efforts with industry peers through the industry organisation, Netbeheer Nederland. Alliander does not engage public affairs firms to represent it, and neither does Alliander donate to political parties, politicians or government bodies.

Sponsoring

Given that Alliander is publicly funded, we pursue a very cautious sponsoring policy, sponsoring only a very limited number of activities that are directly related to Alliander’s field and ambitions, and which are based in our service area. For us to consider sponsoring an activity, it must be sustainable, safe, and politically and religiously neutral.

Stakeholder table

Stakeholder	Organisation or platform	Items for discussion	Type of interaction	Material topics
Customers Consumers	Customer contact web panel Customer survey Customer ombudsman Customer panels Consumer organisations (e.g. Consumers’ Association [Consumentenbond], Association of Homeowners [Vereniging Eigen Huis])	Collaboration, relationship management, dialogue, service improvements	Digital panel Quantitative research Complaints and mediation (per case) Qualitative research (various) Dialogue	Energy security for the customer, Digitalisation and data security, Climate change, Stakeholder communities
Customers Business Customers	Trade associations Energy cooperatives	Collaboration, dialogue, service improvements	Dialogue and relationship management (e.g. VEMW, Uneto VNI, Bouwend Nederland, VNO NCW)	Energy security for the customer, Digitalisation and data security, Climate change
Employees	Alliander employee participation Youth network Tension ‘De Energiedragers’ - collaboration between trainees at Dutch network operators Women’s network Lianne LGBTIq+ network Pride Cultural network ‘Wij zijn Nexus’ Mission Possible - colleagues facing physical or mental challenges at work Globals - international network Staff association Alliander Foundation Unions	Participation, dialogue, employee engagement and initiatives, formal negotiations (on pay and employment conditions)	Formal consultations Dialogue, workshops, meetings Employee association Employee volunteering Periodic negotiations on pay and employment conditions	Being a good employer, Safe infrastructure
Shareholders	Stakeholder provinces and municipalities	Formal/informal consultations, knowledge and insight into activities	General Meeting of Shareholders Meeting of Major Shareholders Consultative meetings, individual contact Two-yearly reputation survey Regular newsletter	All material topics
Investors	Financiers, investors, and credit-rating agencies	Accountability and explanations	Regular consultations and reporting on financial results	All material topics
Local and regional authorities	Provinces, municipalities, umbrella organisations (VNG, IPO), Regional Energy Strategy (RES) regions, National RES Programme, District Heating, Sustainable industry (local and regional authorities + central government)	Coordination of climate and energy plans and projects, investment areas	Consultation, collaboration, projects	Energy security for the customer, Climate change
Government bodies	Central government (ministries) and European Union (European Commission, European Parliament) Council for the Environment and Infrastructure	Expression of interest and active/proactive dialogue	Consultation, having a say, views	Energy security for the customer, Climate change
Politicians	States General + House of Representatives and Senate, provinces, municipalities	Keeping them informed on generic and specific topics.	Relationship management, working visits, proactive and reactive updates Qualitative research	Energy security for the customer, Climate change
Industry regulators	Dutch Authority for Digital Infrastructure Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets Dutch Data Protection Authority Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate State Supervision of Mines EU Industry Regulators Social Affairs and Employment Inspectorate	Informing, information sharing, and explanation	Regular meetings on recent topics and issues, Standard and ad hoc information requests	Energy security for the customer, Being a good employer, Safe infrastructure, Digitalisation and data security, Stakeholder communities
Energy sector	Cedec, Cogen EnergieNederland Energy producers/suppliers EDSN Energy Storage Nederland Eurelectric, Eurogas, ENCS, European Distribution System Operators (E.dso), GD4S Flexible power Alliance Network (FAN) Gasunie Gopacs IGU, IEA Mijnaansluiting.nl Nedu Netbeheer Nederland (association of energy network operators) Nederlandse Vereniging Duurzame Energie (NvDE) Operators for electricity (Edso) Foundation ElaadNL TenneT Utility Connect Warming Up Employer’s association WENb	Knowledge sharing, partnerships, promotion of interests, collaboration	Participation in boards Working groups	Energy security for the customer, Being a good employer, Safe infrastructure, Digitalisation and data security, Supply chain responsibility, Climate change, Circular operations
Suppliers	Contractors and manufacturing industry Suppliers of goods and services	Collaboration, Relationship management, Dialogue	Contracting Day Supplier Days Theme consultations Sustainable procurement consultations	Supply chain responsibility, Climate change, Circular operations
Knowledge institutions	Educational and knowledge organisations Radboud University, Tilburg University, HAN University of Applied Sciences, Regional Training Centres. Delft University of Technology (Powerweb Institute, Green Village), Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente. Gas Safety Platform Wetsus	Knowledge sharing and partnerships	Collaboration, knowledge development, co-creation, knowledge sharing	Being a good employer
Media	National and regional media	Informing, positioning	Relationship management, proactive information, crisis communications, qualitative research	All material topics
Social sector organisations	Stichting de Opkikker Nederland Cares Stichting Present	Volunteering		Being a good employer, Stakeholder communities
	Housing corporations, property developers, business community	Participation, Dialogue and relationship management	Alignment, participation in associations and foundations	Energy security for the customer, Being a good employer, Safe infrastructure, Climate change, Stakeholder communities
Partner relationships	Agora Amsterdam Economic Board Amsterdam Smart City ConnectrLab Economic Board Arnhem Nijmegen Echo European Energy-Information Foundation Rural Energy Services The Future Group Global Gasnetwork Initiative Global Intelligent Utility Network coalition Global Smart City & Community Coalition HIER Opgewekt Klimaatverbond Nederland Management Community MVO Nederland Natuur & Milieu NG Infra NL AIC Nudge Open compliance and ethics group Sharing & Analysis Centre Smart Energy Collective Springtij Stichting de Energiebank Stichting topvrouw Stichting USEF Stichting New Energy Coalition Stichting Irma- Privacy by design coalition Talent naar de top The Open Global Data Urgenda World Economic Forum Women Inc	Collaboration with knowledge institutions, the business community and government bodies, promoting sustainability, new models for innovation and social development, facilitating a sustainable energy supply	Participation in boards, meetings, sponsoring, strategic collaboration, consultation and dialogue	Energy security for the customer, Supply chain responsibility, Corporate Governance, Digitalisation and data security, Climate change, Circular operations, Stakeholder communities
Corporate partnerships	Accenture Epex Enefit Fraunhöfer Groenleven IBM Shell/ Ecta Siemens	Collaboration with knowledge institutions, the business community and government bodies, promoting sustainability, new models for innovation and social development, sustainable energy supply	Meetings, collaboration, development, consultation and dialogue, commissioning projects	Energy security for the customer, Supply chain responsibility, Corporate Governance, Digitalisation and data security, Climate change

Alliander endorses	In 2023, we participated in the following Dutch social initiatives
• ILO Conventions	• National Implementation Agenda for Regional Energy Infrastructure
• OECD guidelines	• Engineering, Construction & Energy Action Plan
• EU CSRD	• Labour market platform
• GRI Universal Guidelines	• Greater Amsterdam Infrastructure Partnership
• EU taxonomy	• 2024 Collective labour agreement for network companies
	• National Network Congestion Action Programme
	• Sector Agreement on carbon pricing between 5 network operators