Scored evidence collected on an entity's engagement with land-use and circular economy policy will now be fully weighted into the final calculations for each entity's metrics. This follows a two year process where InfluenceMap has evolved its methodology to collect evidence on corporate and industry engagement with these key areas of climate-related policy.
We have strengthened the algorithm for discounting the impact older evidence on an organization's top-line metrics. Evidence from within the last two years is weighted the strongest and then gradually weighted out of the scoring calculations as it gets older. All evidence that is 5 years or older is completely removed from the scoring calculations. Users will still be able to view older evidence items that are archived the scoring matrix below, but these will not be impacting the organization's current scores.
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Gasunie appears to take mixed positions on European climate change policy, and is actively engaged. The company’s top-line messaging is supportive of ambitious action on climate change, however, it states support for the energy transition but advocates for a continued role for unabated fossil gas and Liquefied Natural Gas in the energy mix.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Gasunie’s engagement on climate change through its top-line communications appears to be broadly positive. In its 2020 Annual Report, published in March 2021, the company supported the EU’s ambition to be climate neutral by 2050. In the same report, Gasunie advocated for higher ambition in the Dutch Climate Act 2019, and supported the ambitious climate policy in the EU and the Netherlands. In a December 2021 joint letter to EU policymakers, the company supported the EU’s Fit for 55 legislative climate package. Gasunie was supportive of the UN Paris Agreement in its 2019 Annual Report, published in March 2020.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Gasunie has mixed engagement, with climate-related regulations. In an October 2020 EU public consultation response, the company supported increasing the ambition of the EU’s 2030 GHG emissions reductions target. Gasunie was supportive of the EU’s Methane Rules for the energy sector in January 2021 in an EU public consultation response, and called for the regulations to apply to the entire fossil gas value chain. However, the company has consistently supported the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED) revision with major exceptions, for example, in a February 2021 EU public consultation response]. Despite calling for a more ambitious 2030 renewable energy target, and higher sub-targets in the transport sector, the company supported the inclusion of non-renewable low-carbon fuels, and did not support binding targets at national level. Gasunie also advocated for the Delegated Act on RED to provide more flexible approaches regarding the additionality principle in a December 2021 joint letter to EU policymakers. Gasunie has called for policies to expand offshore renewable energy, in a legislative consultation response to the EU’s Offshore Renewable Energy Strategy in September 2020.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Gasunie appears to take mixed positions on the energy transition, supporting both hydrogen and biogas in the energy mix, along with a continued role for unabated fossil gas. In a June 2021 EU public consultation response, Gasunie supported the EU’s Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonization Package, and advocated against the blending of fossil gas and hydrogen. However, the company did not support higher ambition, nor was it in favor of measures to disincentivize unabated fossil gas use. The company also supported preferential treatment for unabated fossil gas, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), in an October 2020 EU public consultation response to the EU’s Energy Taxation Directive revision. Gasunie CEO, Han Fennema, appeared to not support the phase out of fossil gas in the Netherlands, citing the need for more time and repercussions for coal demand, in the company’s 2019 Annual Report, published in March 2020.
In its 2020 Annual Report, published in March 2021, the company supported an expanded role for green hydrogen, whilst stating the need for blue hydrogen in the short-term. CEO Fennema also advocated for measures, including subsidies, to develop the hydrogen sector in the Netherlands in a September 2021 company press release, but did not state a position on decarbonization.
Industry Association Governance: Gasunie has disclosed some of its industry association memberships in its 2021 Annual Report, yet it lacks details on indirect climate-related lobbying activities, the positions of trade associations on climate policy, and how it attempts to influence these positions. The company has not published an audit of alignment with its industry associations on climate change. Gasunie retains membership to Gas Infrastructure Europe, a trade association that historically has supported the long-term role of fossil gas in the energy mix.
Additional Note: The government of the Netherlands owns 100% of Gasunie. It is likely that Gasunie retains channels of direct and private engagement with Dutch officials that InfluenceMap is unable to assess. As this is not publicly available information, it is not reflected in Gasunie's engagement intensity metric.