Limited assurance report of the independent auditor on the sustainability statement

This limited assurance report is an unofficial translation of the original limited assurance report accompanying the original sustainability statement as included in the annual report 2024, both stated in Dutch. In case of any conflict between this translation and the original assurance report, the latter will prevail. The original assurance report can be found on the website of Alliander N.V.

To: the general meeting and the supervisory board of Alliander N.V.

Our limited assurance conclusion

Based on the procedures we have performed and the assurance evidence we have obtained, nothing has come to our attention that causes us to believe that the sustainability statement (the sustainability statement) of Alliander N.V. (the Company) for 2024 is not, in all material respects,

prepared in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) as adopted by the European Commission and in accordance with the process, carried out by the Company, to identify the information to be reported pursuant to the ESRS; and
compliant with the reporting requirements provided for in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (the Taxonomy Regulation).

The subject matter of our limited assurance procedures

We have conducted a limited assurance engagement on the sustainability statement of Alliander N.V., Arnhem for 2024, included in section Sustainability statement of the management board report including the information incorporated in the sustainability statement by reference (hereafter: the sustainability statement).

In the sustainability statement, references are made to external sources or websites. The information on these external sources or websites is not subject to our limited assurance procedures for the sustainability statement. We therefore do not provide assurance on this information.

The basis for our conclusion

We conducted our limited assurance engagement in accordance with Dutch law, including the Dutch Standard 3810N ‘Assuranceopdrachten inzake duurzaamheidsverslaggeving’ (assurance engagements relating to sustainability reporting), which is a specific Dutch Standard that is based on the International Standard on Assurance Engagements (ISAE) 3000 (Revised) ‘Assurance engagements other than audits or reviews of historical financial information’.

Our responsibilities under this standard are further described in the section ‘Our responsibilities for the limited assurance engagement on the sustainability statement’ of our report. We believe that the assurance evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our conclusion.

Our independence and quality management

We are independent of Alliander N.V. in accordance with the ‘Verordening inzake de onafhankelijkheid van accountants bij assuranceopdrachten’ (ViO, Code of ethics for professional accountants, a regulation with respect to independence) and other relevant independence regulations in the Netherlands. Furthermore, we have complied with the ‘Verordening gedrags- en beroepsregels accountants’ (VGBA, Dutch Code of ethics for professional accountants).

PwC applies the applicable quality management requirements pursuant to the ‘Nadere voorschriften kwaliteitsmanagement’ (NVKM, regulations for quality management) and the International Standard on Quality Management (ISQM) 1, and accordingly maintains a comprehensive system of quality management including documented policies and procedures regarding compliance with ethical requirements, professional standards and other relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

Emphasis of matters

Emphasis on the double materiality assessment process

We draw attention to section double materiality assessment of the sustainability statement. The disclosure in this section explains possible future changes in the ongoing due diligence and double materiality assessment process, including engagement with affected stakeholders. Due diligence is an on-going practice that responds to and may trigger changes in the Company’s strategy, business model, activities, business relationships, operating, sourcing and selling contexts relevant for stakeholders as a group. The double materiality assessment process may also be impacted in time by sector-specific standards to be adopted. The sustainability statement may therefore not include every impact, risk and opportunity or additional entity-specific disclosure that each individual stakeholder may consider important in its own assessment.

Emphasis on significant measurement uncertainties

We draw attention to section estimates and assumptions in the section Basic principles of the sustainability statement which draws attention to the assumptions, estimates and presumptions in determining the indicators in E1 Climate change and E5 Circular economy.

Our conclusion has not been modified as a result of these matters.

Corresponding information not subject to assurance procedures

The corresponding information in the sustainability statement and thereto related disclosures with respect to previous years have not been subjected to reasonable or limited assurance procedures.

Inherent limitations in preparing the sustainability statement

In reporting forward-looking information in accordance with the ESRS, the management board of the Company is required to prepare the forward-looking information based on disclosed assumptions about events that may occur in the future and possible future actions by the Company. The actual outcome is likely to be different since anticipated events frequently do not occur as expected. Forward-looking information relates to events and actions that have not yet occurred and may never occur. We do not provide assurance on the achievability of this forward-looking information.

The comparability of sustainability information between entities and over time may be affected by the lack of historical sustainability information in accordance with the ESRS and by the absence of a uniform practice on which to draw, to evaluate and measure this information. This allows for the application of different, but acceptable, measurement techniques, especially in the initial years.

Calculations to determine information as included in the sustainability statement could be based on assumptions and sources from third parties that include information about, among others, value chain and information collected from actors in the value chain, when appropriate. We have not performed procedures on the content of these assumptions and these external sources, other than evaluating the suitability and plausibility of these assumptions and sources from third parties used.

Responsibilities for the sustainability statement and for the limited assurance procedures thereon

The management board of Alliander N.V. is responsible for the preparation of the sustainability statement in accordance with ESRS, including the process carried out by the Company to determine the information reported under the ESRS and the reporting on material impacts, risks and opportunities in accordance with the ESRS. As part of the preparation of the sustainability statement, the management board is responsible for complying with the reporting requirements under Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (Taxonomy Regulation).

The management board is also responsible for selecting and applying additional entity-specific disclosures to enable users to understand the Company’s sustainability-related impacts, risks or opportunities and for determining that these additional entity- specific disclosures are suitable in the circumstances and in accordance with the ESRS.

Furthermore, the management board is responsible for such internal control as the management board determines is necessary to enable the preparation of the sustainability statement that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

The supervisory board is responsible for overseeing the Company’s sustainability reporting process including the double materiality process carried out by the Company.

Our responsibilities for the limited assurance engagement on the sustainability statement

Our responsibility is to plan and perform the limited assurance engagement in a manner that allows us to obtain sufficient appropriate assurance evidence to provide a basis for our conclusion.

Our objectives are to obtain a limited level of assurance, as appropriate, about whether the sustainability statement is free from material misstatements, and to issue a limited assurance conclusion in our report. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence decisions of users taken on the basis of the sustainability statement. The procedures vary in nature and timing from, and are less in extent than for, a reasonable assurance engagement. The level of assurance obtained in a limited assurance engagement is therefore substantially less than the assurance obtained in a reasonable assurance engagement.

Our other responsibilities in respect of the limited assurance engagement on the sustainability statement include:

Performing risk assessment procedures, including obtaining an understanding of internal control relevant to the engagement, to identify where material misstatements are likely to arise, whether due to fraud or error; and
Designing and performing procedures responsive to where material misstatements are likely to arise in the sustainability statement. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control.

Procedures performed

We have exercised professional judgement and have maintained professional scepticism throughout the assurance engagement, in accordance with the Dutch Standard 3810N, ethical requirements and independence requirements. Our procedures included, amongst others, the following:

Performing inquiries and an analysis of the external environment and obtaining an understanding of relevant sustainability themes and issues, the characteristics of the Company, its activities and the value chain and its key intangible resources to assess the process to identify the information to be reported carried out by the Company as the basis for the sustainability statement and disclosure of all material sustainability-related impacts, risks and opportunities in accordance with ESRS.
Obtaining through inquiries a general understanding of the internal control environment, the Company’s processes for gathering and reporting entity-related and value chain information, the information systems and the Company’s risk assessment process relevant to the preparation of the sustainability statement and for identifying the Company’s activities, determining eligible and aligned activities and prepare the disclosures provided for in the Taxonomy Regulation, without testing the operating effectiveness of controls.
Assessing the double materiality process carried out by the Company and identifying and assessing areas of the sustainability statement, including the disclosures provided for in the Taxonomy Regulation where misleading or unbalanced information or material misstatements, whether due to fraud or error, are likely to We designed and performed further assurance procedures aimed at determining that the sustainability statement is free from material misstatements responsive to this risk analysis.
Considering whether the description of the process to identify the information to be reported in the sustainability statement made by the management board appears consistent with the process carried out by the Company.
Determining the nature and extent of the procedures to be performed for the group components and For this, the nature, extent and/or risk profile of these components are decisive. We have performed our procedures centrally.
Performing substantive analytics on quantitative information in the sustainability statement, including considering data and trends in the information that has been provided for consolidation at a group level.
Evaluated the methods, assumptions and data for developing estimates and forward-looking information. Assessing whether the Company’s methods for developing estimates are appropriate and have been consistently applied for selected disclosures. Our procedures did not include testing the data on which the estimates are based or separately developing our own estimates against which to evaluate the Company’s estimates.
Analysing, on a limited sample basis, relevant internal and external documentation at the level of the Company (including other entities or value chain from which the information may stem) for selected disclosures.
Reading the other information in the annual report to identify material inconsistencies, if any, with the sustainability statement.
Considering whether the disclosures provided to address the reporting requirements provided for in the Taxonomy Regulation for each of the environmental objectives, reconcile with the underlying records of the Company and are consistent or coherent with the sustainability statement, appear reasonable, in particular whether the eligible economic activities meet the cumulative conditions to qualify as aligned and whether the technical criteria are met, and whether the accompanying key performance indicators disclosures have been defined and calculated in accordance with the Taxonomy reference framework, and comply with the reporting requirements provided for in the Taxonomy Regulation, including the format in which the activities are presented.
Reconciling the relevant financial information to the financial statements.
Considering the overall presentation, structure and the balanced content of the sustainability statement, including the reporting requirements provided for in the Taxonomy Regulation.
Considering, based on our limited assurance procedures and evaluation of the assurance evidence obtained, whether the sustainability statement as a whole, including the sustainability matters and disclosures, is clearly and adequately disclosed in accordance with ESRS.

We communicate with the supervisory board regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the limited assurance engagement and significant findings that we identify during our limited assurance engagement.

Utrecht, 3 March 2025
PricewaterhouseCoopers Accountants N.V.

The original, prevailing Dutch limited assurance report has been signed by drs. K. Hofstede RA