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EWE
SUST
AIN
ABI
LITY
REP
ORT
201
4
CRE
ATIN
G V
ALU
E FO
R O
UR
REG
ION
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT2014
CREATING VALUE FOR OUR REGION
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
THE MAGNIFYING GLASS
indicates more detailed information
on the subject
GEO PIN
indicates the locations of introductions
to sections and subjects
GRI INDICATORS AND
EWE PROGRESS CRITERIA
>> G4-XX and >> EWE-FKXX refer to reported
GRI indicators or to our EWE progress criteria.
A detailed overview is available
in the GRI Index from p. 82 onwards.
The hook þ indicates the start and end
of information in the text that is subject
to review by auditors (p. 92).
1CONTENTS
FOREWORD 8
COMPANY PROFILE 10
SUSTAINABILITY –
PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY 15
OUR AREAS OF ACTION 23
Security of supply and network stability 24
Innovation and product responsibility 29
Climate protection and generation 34
Environmental management and resource efficiency 40
Regional responsibility 44
Supply chain 50
Market and transparency 54
Health and occupational safety 58
Employees and education 63
Data protection and information security 68
ABOUT THIS REPORT 72
FACTS AND FIGURES 74
Appendix of indicators 75
GRI Index 82
Glossary 90
Independent auditor’s report 92
CONTACT AND PUBLICATION DETAILS 94
CONTENTS
We believe that acting responsibly is a basis for long-term corporate success.
Our sustainability strategy defines specific targets in ten areas of action
that we want to achieve by 2020. This enables us to systematically pool
and strengthen our activities.
This report is our first comprehensive overview of what we mean by
sustainability and regional responsibility – and how we put them into practice.
2EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
Providing high-speed internet to rural areas with low population density
is a challenge. EWE is working together with the people
to tackle this challenge and establish modern infrastructure
even outside urban centres. More information about our area of action
SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
is available from page 24 onwards.
More and more members of the public are taking an active role
in the energy turnaround. And EWE is giving them a helping hand.
The EQOO domestic storage system helps them get the most out
of the solar power that they generate themselves.
More information about our area of action
INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
is available from page 29 onwards.
3
After just 14 months of construction, Riffgat now generates energy for around
120,000 homes. EWE has shown that it is possible to construct offshore wind
farms quickly without compromising the environment or cost efficiency.
EWE makes its expertise in planning, construction and operation available to
other companies. More information about our area of action
CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
is available from page 34 onwards.
EWE wants to consistently decrease how much energy it uses over the coming
years. The headquarters for the Turkish subsidiaries Bursagaz and Enervis will use
highly efficient building technology in accordance with the international LEED
sustainability standard. More information about our area of action
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
is available from page 40 onwards.
4
EWE wants long-term partnerships with its suppliers. One such supplier
is cable manufacturer Waskönig+Walter. Quality, adherence to delivery
time-scales, and environmentally friendly production processes
have fostered a relationship of trust between EWE and this Saterland-based family
company. More information about our area of action
SUPPLY CHAIN
is available from page 50 onwards.
What does the future of energy look like? That’s a question that utility
companies can’t answer without the help of citizens. Under the motto
“The North Gets It Done”, EWE’s 2014 Energy Turnaround Forum gave
the people of the region an opportunity to present and discuss their ideas,
and to develop them until they are ready to implement.
More information about our area of action
REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
is available from page 44 onwards.
5
Reliability is the foundation for any long-term customer relationship.
That’s why EWE wants its three customer advisory boards in Weser-Ems,
Weser-Elbe and Brandenburg to show what private customers want
from their energy provider. The customer advisory boards also help EWE
to inform citizens about the complexities of the energy world.
More information about our area of action
MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
is available from page 54 onwards.
Occupational health and safety is extremely important to EWE – a commitment
to safety measures, daily checks, training and proactive risk mitigation prevented
serious accidents during the construction of the gas and steam turbine power plant
in Bremen-Mittelsbüren. More information about our area of action
HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
is available from page 58 onwards.
6
95 young adults from all of the EWE regions live and work on the
EnergieCampus in Oldenburg. EWE uses the EnergieCampus for training
workshops, and doesn’t leave residents to their own devices after work. Mentors
support EWE apprentices on-site and help them to organise their free time.
More information about our area of action
EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
is available from page 63 onwards.
EWE stores its customers’ information in Oldenburg. Security at the two regional
data centres is tight, with extensive measures taken to protect images, emails,
account transactions and trade secrets of individuals and businesses against hackers,
theft and fire. These data centres are also subject to Germany’s strict data protection
laws. More information about our area of action
DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
is available from page 68 onwards.
7
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
DEAR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FRIENDS OF THE COMPANY,
The European energy industry is in upheaval, and EWE is also
undergoing some major changes. Why, in times of constant
change, is it now right to set ourselves up systematically
for a sustainable future? The answer lies in how we see our-
selves – as a predominantly municipally-owned company,
sustainability means acting reliably, responsibly and with a
view to the long term – for our regions, for the people who
live there, and for the environment. The only way to deal with
key challenges like climate protection is hand in hand with
our customers, employees, shareholders and other partners.
And we firmly believe that the only way to achieve long-term
economic success is by taking ecological and social develop-
ments into account in the course of our commercial dealings.
We were quick to integrate energy, telecommunications and
information technology, as these are the key areas of exper-
tise required for sustainable energy supply. For decades now,
we have also been committed to education and science, for
social projects, culture and sport. We are a regular part of
the social life in our regions of Ems/Weser/Elbe, Branden-
burg and Rügen, as well as parts of Poland and Turkey. The
swb group of companies, which is part of the EWE Group, has
been responsible for establishing modern energy supply in
the state of Bremen for 160 years.
We adopted a sustainability strategy in 2014 to combine our
existing activities and launch new ones. We have set our-
selves specific targets in ten areas of action, which we want
to achieve by 2020, and which we will use from now on to
gauge our performance. “Creating Value for our Region”, our
first sustainability report, is our outlet for presenting our
strategy. We want to keep you informed about where we are
and where we’re going.
That’s why we are committed to reducing our CO2 emissions
per generated kilowatt hour by 40 per cent by 2020, com-
pared to 2005 levels. In 2014, we brought the first commer-
cial offshore wind farm in the German North Sea online, with
Riffgat providing electricity to 120,000 homes.
“We firmly believe that the only way to achieve long-term economic success
is by taking ecological and social developments into account in the course of commercial dealings.”
We are investing in modern infrastructure and are conduct-
ing practical research into “smart grids” in order to keep our
networks stable, despite the fluctuating amounts of elec-
tricity being fed into the network from renewable energies.
Our electricity network is one of the most reliable in Germa-
ny, and we want to keep our network downtime below the
national average in future, too.
In order to discover potential energy savings within the com-
pany and to reduce our own consumption, we will introduce
energy management systems in twelve of our companies and
establish a Group-wide energy monitoring system by 2020.
We are also incorporating business partners outside of our
8
FOREWORD
company into our sustainability management system. As part
of this process, we have drawn up a code of conduct, and we
plan for 95 per cent of our strategic suppliers to sign up to it
by 2020.
A study published by the CONOSCOPE research institute in
2014 showed that we are already a significant regional eco-
nomic force. Around half of every euro spent by EWE stays in
the region. Our capital expenditure and the purchases made
by our employees provide around 17,000 additional jobs in
our regions. Our sustainability strategy is a roadmap for how
we can continue to contribute to the development of our
regions.
We are overcoming both this challenge and others by making
sustainability an integral part of our core business. We have
established a Group-wide sustainability management system
that we will expand in the coming years. Our employees help
us every day to achieve the goals we have set ourselves.
It is important for us to make our progress measurable and
comparable. That’s why we have prepared our report in ac-
cordance with the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 Sus-
tainability Reporting Guidelines. An independent auditor has
performed an audit of the report and has raised no objections
in this connection.
Dear reader, we are delighted to present the first EWE sus-
tainability report, and we hope that you will find it informa-
tive. >> G4-01
June 2015
Board of Management
Matthias Brückmann Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Sales
Ines Kolmsee Member of the Board of Management, Technology
Dr. Heiko Sanders Member of the Board of Management, Finance
Dr. Werner Brinker Chief Executive Officer
Nikolaus Behr Member of the Board of Management, Human Resources
BOARD OF MANAGEMENT OF
EWE AG
9
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
COMPANY PROFILE
10
COMPANY PROFILE
BUSINESS MODEL
With energy, telecommunications and information technolo-
gy (IT), EWE combines the key expertise needed for a modern
energy supply. With more than 9,000 employees and sales
in excess of EUR 8 billion, the Group is one of the largest
municipally-owned companies in Germany. EWE does busi-
ness in the Bremen, Brandenburg, Rügen and Ems/Weser/
Elbe regions, as well as parts of Turkey and Poland >> G4-06.
þ EWE provides electricity to just under 1.3 million cus-
tomers and natural gas to 1.7 million. It also provides tele-
communication services to around 700,000 customers1 >>
þ G4-EU03. The Group can generate its own energy from
renewable and conventional sources, and operates secure
energy and telecommunication networks. Its subsidiary BTC
provides IT products and services.
EWE considers itself a network infrastructure expert and a
pioneer in the field of renewable energies. The company’s
strategy is completely focused on the German energy turn-
around. By combining energy, telecommunications and IT,
EWE has the expertise needed for intelligent energy systems
>> G4-08. The energy supply of the future requires a new
mindset – energy needs are rising and our fossil fuels are
limited. We also have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
to counteract climate change. To do this, we need to strike
an intelligent balance between energy conservation, energy
efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy
sources. This requires closely knit systems that are able to
flexibly and efficiently provide electricity and heat.
A PIONEER
IN SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SUPPLY
+ One of the world’s first commercial wind turbine
operators in the 1980s
+ Leading member of the consortium involved in
building Germany’s first offshore wind farm, alpha
ventus
+ Riffgat – the first commercial offshore wind farm
in the German North Sea
+ Research and field tests investigating the use of fuel
cells in domestic energy supply since 1998
+ Developed the E3 electric car in 2009 as a test
platform for modern storage technologies
+ Large-scale field test in Cuxhaven investigating
decentralised energy management (eTelligence)
+ Field test for first intelligent local network stations
running since 2013
+ Around 75 per cent of the electricity transported in the
EWE network already comes from renewable energies
1 — Including customers of htp GmbH
11
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
EWE AG is based in Oldenburg, Germany >> G4-03, G4-05.
As the Group’s holding company, it manages the Group com-
panies and their activities. Most of the company is owned by
local government, which holds a 74 per cent stake in EWE
AG. The shares are held by 21 cities and communities in the
Ems/Weser/Elbe region. 26 per cent of the shares are held by
EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG >> G4-07.
As a capital market-oriented public limited company
( Aktiengesellschaft), EWE is subject to the German Stock
Corporation Act. The Group is led by a Board of Manage-
ment which is solely responsible for managing the Group’s
transactions and developing its strategic direction. It takes
action in agreement with the Supervisory Board. The Board
of Management provides the Supervisory Board with regular
information about the company’s course of business, strat-
egy and potential opportunities and risks. The Supervisory
Board monitors the activities of the Board of Management.
In accordance with the German Codetermination Act, (Mit-
bestimmungsrecht), the Supervisory Board has an equal
number of shareholder representatives and employee repre-
sentatives >> G4-34.
The EWE Group is separated into the following business
areas:
+ The Central Divisions/Consolidation business area
mainly comprises EWE AG as the holding company and
other associated companies like swb AG and VNG Ver-
bundnetz Gas Aktiengesellschaft.
+ The Generation business area contains the Renewable
Energies, Conventional Generation, Waste Disposal and
Gas Storage business units.
+ The Infrastructure business area encompasses the
electricity grid, natural gas grid and telecommunications
networks, as well as drinking water/wastewater.
+ The Sales and Trading business area includes the
energy and telecommunications sales entities and the
Group’s energy trading business.
+ The Foreign Business and IT business area, which
brings together the business activities in Turkey and
Poland as well as the Information Technology division.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
EWE offers its customers energy, telecommunications and
IT products and services from a single provider. In addi-
tion to electricity, gas, telephone and internet services, it
also provides its customers with innovative combinations
which bring all three areas together. One example is the
solar- powered EQOO domestic storage system, which
EWE launched in 2014 to respond to widespread customer
demand for self-sufficiency. Households can use EQOO to
generate up to 70 per cent of their electricity from their own
solar panels. > p. 29, Innovation and product responsibility
12
COMPANY PROFILE
GROUP KEY FIGURES
EUR million 2014 2013 Change in %
Sales 8,134.2 8,862.6 -8.2
Operating EBITDA 847.1 983.2 -13.8
Operating EBIT 425.4 497.9 -14.6
EBIT 357.7 410.9 -12.9
Result for the period 146.3 57.2 155.8
Cash outflows for capital expenditure (total) 721.3 573.5 25.8
Cash flow from operating activities 770.3 406.4 89.5
Balance sheet total 9,800.9 10,370.4 -5.5
Shareholders’ equity 2,285.2 2,395.7 -4.6
Equity ratio in % 23.3 23.1 0.9
Employees (Ø) 9,154 9,163 -0.1
þ G4-09
> Please refer to the 2014 annual report of EWE AG for further key figures
þ
13
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
EWE also provides procurement, marketing and balancing
group management services for electricity and gas through
its Energy Trading division. For example, EWE trades CO2
certificates on behalf of customers and is a leading provider
of direct marketing services for electricity from facilities
governed by the Renewable Energy Act (EEG).
The Telecommunications division provides a full complement
of modern services for private and business customers on the
basis of the Group’s infrastructure in parts of EWE’s regions.
These range from landline and mobile telephone services to
internet connections and TV products to cloud services. It
also provides data centre services and tailored service pack-
ages for business customers.
EWE provides consulting, system integration as well as
application and system management services through its IT
division. Innovative energy software products are a key part
of its product portfolio. These include solutions and innova-
tions related to smart metering and smart grids >> G4-04.
RISK MANAGEMENT
The purpose of the Precautionary Principle, which was adopt-
ed by the United Nations, is to prevent harm to the environ-
ment. Monitoring environmental risks is also important for
EWE. Its subsidiary swb, for example, uses environmental
management systems in swb Erzeugung GmbH & Co. KG
(swb Erzeugung) and swb Entsorgung GmbH & Co. KG (swb
Entsorgung), among other areas >> G4-14.
In addition to addressing environmental risks, EWE also deals
with the consequences of danger scenarios, which could for
example arise as a result of sudden natural disasters. EWE
NETZ GmbH (EWE NETZ) has defined every business process
which would put the company and therefore the security of
supply at risk in a crisis. The company then drew up specific
measures and plans which would be implemented in these
situations.
EWE has established an integrated risk and opportunity
management system for the Group to detect and address
potential risks and opportunities arising from its activities.
This system is used to analyse risks and opportunities on a
regular basis. The Group’s Board of Management and super-
visory bodies are informed of the results of these analyses
on a quarterly basis. > Please refer to p. 66 of the 2014 annual
report for further information
14
SUSTAINABILITY – PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY
SUSTAINABILITY – PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY 15
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
MAIN CHALLENGES
ENERGY TURNAROUND
In the light of global warming, one of the main challenges of
the coming decades will be to gradually migrate the energy
supply of Germany, an industrial nation, from a carbon-based
energy supply to one that is CO2 neutral. In spring 2011, the
German government responded to the nuclear disaster in
Fukushima, Japan by setting up the political framework for
revamping its energy supply, dubbed the German energy
turnaround.
Germany’s rural areas will play an increasingly important
role during this reform process. An above-average number of
decentralised renewable generation plants are used in these
areas because of the amount of land available and due to the
weather conditions. A significant amount of this potential is
already being exploited, particularly in the north-west, with
the construction of wind turbines and the use of biomass
and photovoltaic power plants. The amount of electricity
fed in from renewable energies is volatile. Despite this, it is
important to ensure that there is always enough electricity
available. This necessitates new solutions. We have to be
smarter and more flexible in how we coordinate the various
pathways involved in electricity generation, electricity con-
sumption and the load flows in our networks.
IMPACT OF THE ENERGY MARKET
Deregulated electricity and gas markets and the regulation
of network business have decreased the profitability of our
company in its traditional core business. Pressure is growing
on previously stable sources of income. This is exacerbated
by the current situation on the gas market, which is a chal-
lenge to our storage marketing activities, for example. In the
electricity market, the obligation to use electricity from re-
newable energies is having a particularly strong impact on
the market for conventional generation.
DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES
Demographic changes are another significant challenge
which will have a major impact on the German labour market
in future. We want to establish ourselves as an attractive
employer when competing for the best minds. The changes
to the age structure of our customer groups also come with
new requirements and expectations regarding services and
products, and we are preparing for this early on.
OUR GROUP STRATEGY
FOCUS ON THE ENERGY FUTURE
EWE has long believed that creating a sustainable energy
sector is the way forward. We already began investing in
renewable energies back in the 1980s. Because it takes smart,
flexible network load management to use it to its full poten-
tial, we have been building up key expertise for smart energy
systems through our Telecommunications and Information
Technology business areas and integrating it into our busi-
ness model since the 1990s.
The majority of the EWE Group is municipally owned, and
the Group is particularly aware of its responsibility to the
environ ment and people in its regions – as an employer, a
partner to our suppliers, a service provider for our customers,
and a neighbour. We want to remain a reliable partner for a
secure and economically viable energy supply in future. Our
strategy for achieving this is built on three main pillars:
16
SUSTAINABILITY – PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY
Focus: With energy, telecommunications and information
technology, we combine the core fields of expertise under
one roof to provide a forward-looking system of energy
supply. We focus here in particular on activities which repre-
sent a sustainable strategic and operational addition to our
core business.
Concentrated growth: We aim to achieve profitable growth
with business activities, technologies and partnerships that
enable us to actively participate in the transformation of
energy supply in northern Germany. The emphasis is current-
ly on renewable energies and the electricity networks.
We are also more positive about the Offshore business area
than we were two years ago. Our experience with the Group’s
two wind farms (Riffgat and alpha ventus) showed that off-
shore wind energy is more profitable and less risky than
previously thought. We want to use the Group’s expertise
to grow this area going forward. The biogas production and
processing situation is quite different. EWE will be reducing
its involvement in this area in future, partly due to the 2014
amendment to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG).
We have successfully expanded our market position in Turkey
over recent years. The Group and its Turkish shareholdings
have an excellent reputation among customers, business
partners and political decision-makers. EWE will use this
foundation to selectively exploit growth potential among
private customers and in the distribution network.
OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
Environmentally friendly energy and quality
of life for local people
OUR PROMISE
EWE is a municipal utility company with
a responsibility to our region. We create
sustainable value for our customers,
employees and shareholders and are shaping
the energy turnaround in partnership with
people and companies from the regions.
VALUES OF THE EWE GROUP CULTURE
Entrepreneurial
Forward-thinking
Responsible
Committed to partnerships
Efficient
Varied
EWE MANAGEMENT VALUES
Passion for the customer
Courage for change
Responsibility for the outcome
17
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
Sustainability and regional roots: We want to fulfil our
responsibilities to the regions and its people by sustainable
entrepreneurship. That’s why we have set up a comprehen-
sive sustainability management system for the EWE Group,
on which we will be reporting on a regular basis in future.
We want to be judged on the basis of the targets and per-
formance figures that we include in these reports. We use
our traditional links with the regions and our many years of
local experience to involve the regions and their people in the
shaping of an environmentally friendly energy supply system.
PRINCIPLES AND GROUP CULTURE
The basis of our success is our integrity in all business rela-
tionships. Because of this, we have set up a code of conduct
for all of our employees to make compliance a key part of our
company. This code of conduct covers compliance with laws
and directives, regulations, internal guidelines, contractual
obligations and voluntary commitments.
The EWE code of conduct was introduced in the German busi-
ness regions at the end of 2012 and in the Polish business
regions in 2014. The management of the Turkish companies
have already approved the code of conduct and will imple-
ment it in due course. > Further information from p. 54 onwards
The approved management values and the Group culture
provide a frame of reference alongside our code of conduct
for our activities and decisions. Our employees come from an
extremely wide range of technical and cultural backgrounds.
We need Group-wide values to use this variety constructively
and pool our expertise in the best possible manner > See box
p. 17; >> G4-56.
OUR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT
EWE STAKEHOLDERS
EWE has drawn up a sustainability strategy with ten areas of
action to make sustainability an integral part of the Group’s
philosophy. These areas of action cover economic, ecological
and social issues. þ Because our company is involved with a
wide variety of internal and external shareholders, we took
their needs into account when drawing up the strategy.
We started by using a multi-stage process to identify our
main stakeholder groups. Customers, employees, sharehold-
ers, suppliers and NGOs have a particularly important part
to play in terms of our regional roots and have a significant
impact on our company’s success >> þ G4-25.
+ þ EWE considers itself a customer-focused and ser-
vice-oriented company with strong regional roots, which
is why customers are a major stakeholder group for EWE.
+ Employees play a major role in EWE’s success. Their per-
formance, loyalty and satisfaction are a vital part of the
success of the company’s business operations. They are
also involved in implementing the sustainability strategy.
+ EWE is predominantly owned by local government, which
is why shareholders are an important stakeholder group
>> þ G4-24, þ G4-27.
18
4 5 6 7
4
5
6
7
SUSTAINABILITY – PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY
MATERIALITY MATRIX
VER
Y H
IGH
IMP
OR
TAN
CE
FOR
STA
KEH
OLD
ERS
MED
IUM
HIG
H
IMPORTANCE FOR THE COMPANY
VERY HIGHMEDIUM HIGH
SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITYREGIONAL
RESPONSIBILITY
SUPPLY CHAIN
MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY — INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION — ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY — SUPPLY CHAIN — MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY — HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY — EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION — DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
OUR AREAS OF ACTION
OUR SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
> Our sustainability strategy, p. 21
19
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
þ Our ten areas of action therefore comprise the main eco-
nomic, ecological and social issues for the EWE Group. We
have allocated a target for each area of action, along with
specific measures and initiatives. We also defined an im-
provement criterion for each area so that our sustainability
can be measured. We aim to use this to identify areas where
we can improve and to help us develop our sustainability
strategy >> þ G4-27.
INTEGRATION IN THE GROUP
The task of strategic management for these activities has been
assigned to the Corporate Development holding function,
which reports directly to the Board of Management. A sepa-
rate Corporate Development unit is the Group-wide point of
contact for sustainability issues. A person from each of the
relevant organisational units has also been assigned to each
area of action. Under their leadership, experts and managers
from individual Group companies work on the challenges in-
volved in each area >> G4-34. We will be expanding our sus-
tainability management system continuously over the coming
years in order to reach our targets and thus implement our
strategy successfully.
+ þ We are committed to partnering with and supporting
our suppliers in order to provide transparent communi-
cation about services and be effective in our organisa-
tion relating to economic, ecological and social issues
throughout the value chain.
+ NGOs represent expectations about economic, ecological
and social issues which are not widely represented in
society as a whole. Because these can result in areas of
action for companies in future, it is important to recog-
nise these issues ahead of time >> þ G4-24, þ G4-27.
MATERIALITY ANALYSIS AS A BASIS FOR THE STRATEGY
þ We have carried out a comprehensive analysis to identify
the main sustainability issues for EWE and its stakeholders.
We incorporated aspects based on the GRI standard and set
thresholds for these aspects within and outside of the com-
pany. We also identified additional content that is relevant
for our business model. We systematically investigated
the expectations of our stakeholders regarding responsible
entrepreneurship by recording them in a survey and weight-
ing them.
We derived the main areas of action for our sustainability
strategy on this basis while taking the importance of these
issues for EWE into account. A materiality matrix shows the
relative importance of each area for our stakeholders and
EWE. A value of 7 represents a very high degree of relevance,
while 4 represents a proportionally lower degree of relevance
> See p. 19; >> þ G4-18; þ G4-26.
1 — An aggregate score from four customer service indicators (customer satisfaction, willingness to recommend our company, likelihood of staying with the company and comparison with competitors) based on the results of the BDEW Customer Focus study (see p. 44, Regional responsibility).
2 — For the energy field3 — The healthy employee rate stands in opposition to the absence
rate. This means that if the absence ratio is 3 per cent, the healthy employee rate is 97 per cent. The absence rate is the ratio of days of absence resulting from incapacity to work to the target number of working days assigned to the reporting period. This also includes annual leave.
20
SUSTAINABILITY – PART OF OUR GROUP STRATEGY
Area of action Objective by 2020 Measures Progress criterion Target value for 2020 Current status in 2014
1 Security of supply and net-work stability
We are building a sustainable and efficient infrastructure for the people in the region.
+ Implementing the maintenance and reinvestment strategy
+ Expanding crisis and emergency management
+ Supporting the expansion of the regional broadband network
+ Expansion of smart grid research projects and field tests
Power outage durations in minutes per year, per customer in Germany
Better than the average for Germany determined by the German Federal Network Agency (= SAIDI: System Average Interruption Dura-tion Index)
5.5 minutes per year, per customer (Average value from German Federal Network Agency: 15.3 minutes per year, per customer)
2 Innovation and product responsibility
We bring energy, tele-communications and information technology together to create the intelligent energy supply systems of tomorrow.
+ Launch of an innovation portal + Interdisciplinary research and develop-
ment projects + Expanding the range of energy
efficiency products and services
Number of ideas submit-ted via the innovation portal that culminated in a project
10 projects initiated per year
Innovation portal has been designed
3 Climate protection and generation
We are making our ener-gy generation processes more environmentally friendly.
+ Expansion in the use of wind power + Making our power plants more flexible
and more efficient + Bringing the steam turbine power
plant online
CO2 emissions in grams per generated kilowatt hour of electricity
Reduction in CO2 emissions in grams per generated kilowatt hour of electricity by 40% compared to 2005 levels
540 grams per gener-ated kilowatt hour of electricity (equivalent to a 34.8% reduction compared to 2005)
4 Environmental management and resource efficiency
We handle energy re-sponsibly and minimise our consumption within the company.
+ Establishment of a Group-wide energy monitoring system
+ Launch and certification of further energy management systems
Number of companies with ISO 50001-certified energy management systems
Twelve companies certified
4 companies have already been certified + swb Services + Bursagaz + EWE GASSPEICHER + EWE VERTRIEB
5 Regional responsibility
Our activities make a significant contribution to the development of the region.
+ Greater involvement of members of the public in wind farm projects
+ Expansion of the network investment model
+ Continued tailoring of sponsorship commitments to the needs of the region
+ Supporting forums for discussions
Regionality index
Better than the average from the “Customer Focus – Households” (Kundenfokus Haushalte) study published by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW); a minimum of 67 if the average falls below this level
72 (German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) “Customer Focus – Households” study average: 68)
6 Supply chain
We are implementing specific sustainability requirements for our suppliers.
+ Introduction of a supplier code of conduct + Providing purchasers with sustainabil-
ity training + Establishment of a strategic supplier
management system
Proportion of strategic materials and services suppliers who commit to the supplier code of conduct
Over 95% of strategic ma-terials and services suppliers covered
The supplier code of conduct has been developed and will be introduced in 2015
7 Market and transparency
We are a trustworthy service provider for our customers and a reliable contract partner.
+ Implementation of customer service strategy
+ Intensify customer loyalty measures
Customer loyalty index1
742
722
8 Health and occupational safety
We guarantee a safe and healthy working environment.
+ Introduction of leadership curriculum on health management
+ Expansion of training on working hours and self-management
+ Intensification of measures related to stress prevention, healthy eating and fitness
+ Introducing Group-wide Health, Safe-ty, Environment (HSE) policy
Healthy employees rate3
97%
95.3%
9 Employees and education
We are an attractive employer for the region.
+ Development of a brand identity as an employer
+ Establishing a demographic manage-ment system
+ Helping employees to have a healthy work/life balance
Time taken to fill positions
75 weekdays
85.6 weekdays
10 Data protection and informa-tion security
We are a reliable partner in the areas of data protection, information security and unbundling.
+ Introduction of relevant e-learning modules
+ Continued development of a Group-wide information security management system in accordance with ISO 27001 requirements
Proportion of all employees in all relevant companies who have been trained in data protection, infor mation security and unbundling using e-learning modules
> 85% (the maximum proportion in practice)
Resolution on intro-duction of e-learning modules has been prepared
SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY þ
þ EWE-FK01 to EWE-FK10
21
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
EWE is also represented in scientific associations like the
Association for the Promotion of Science and Humanities
in Germany (Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft
e. V.) and the National Academy of Science and Engineering
– acatech e. V. >> G4-15.
In future, we want to intensify our dialogue with our stake-
holders and establish new formats for communication. Our
aim is to communicate our activities in a transparent and
trustworthy manner and give our stakeholder groups addi-
tional opportunities to share their concerns. In this way, we
want to play an active role in shaping major economic, ecolo-
gical and social developments and find sustainable solutions
with our stakeholders.
STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE
þ We have been in dialogue with our customers, and with
citizens, scientists, politicians and other stakeholders for a
number of years. For example, we have set up customer and
network advisory boards in our regions and established the
Energy Turnaround Forum to let members of society share
their ideas about the region’s energy future >> þ G4-26.
EWE also initiated the Bullensee Group. This is a group of
renowned scientists and practitioners who meet on a regular
basis to discuss future issues. The experts met for the first
time near the Bullensee lake near Bremen in 2005 and drew
up ten assumptions about the energy supply of the future.
EWE also plays an active role in a variety of industry and
special interest associations. We hold leadership positions
in some, and are involved in projects and working groups for
several others.
EWE is part of the following associations, among others:
+ German Association of Energy and Water Industries
(BDEW)
+ German Association of Local Utilities (VKU)
+ German Association of Broadband Communication
(BREKO)
+ Federal Association for Information Technology,
Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM)
+ German Working Group for Environmentally Friendly
Management (BAUM)
+ Netzwerk Compliance >> G4-16
22
OUR AREAS OF ACTION
OUR AREAS OF ACTION
23
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
As a regional energy provider, we want to guarantee that our
customers have a secure energy supply. We are bringing the
areas of energy, telecommunications and information technol-
ogy together to prepare for “smart energy systems”, an issue
which is set to be important for the future. The networks have a
decisive role to play in this process as the link between genera-
tion and consumption. Due to our geographical situation, we
are familiar with the special challenges of decentralised gener-
ation structures and integrating renewable energies into the
network infrastructure. Around 75 per cent of the electricity
transported in the EWE NETZ network already comes from re-
newable sources. With network outages of less than six min-
utes per year per customer, the EWE Group’s network compa-
nies lead the field in Germany.
OUR OBJECTIVE
SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE REGION
Our primary goal is to build and operate a sustainable and
efficient infrastructure for people in the region. The reliabili-
ty of the electricity supply is a key yardstick in determining
security of supply and network stability. That’s why we meas-
ure our progress on the basis of power outages in minutes per
customer, per year, resulting from unplanned interruptions in
the German medium and low voltage network. Power outages
lasted 15.3 minutes on average in 2013. þ The figure for EWE’s
network companies is already much lower, at 5.5 minutes in
2014. This figure covers the networks of Group subsidiaries
EWE NETZ, wesernetz Bremen GmbH (wesernetz Bremen)
and wesernetz Bremerhaven GmbH (wesernetz Bremerhaven),
swb’s urban networks >> þ G4-EU29, þ EWE-FK01. We want
to remain better than the national average by 2020.
OUR WAY FORWARD
NETWORK, STORAGE AND GENERATION SOLUTIONS
FOR A RELIABLE SUPPLY
The distinguishing feature of EWE’s network companies’ me-
dium and low voltage network is that almost 100 per cent of
the cables are underground. This makes them less susceptible
to disruption than cables that are laid above ground. This has
a positive impact on the number of power outages in our net-
work, which is relatively low for the nation as a whole.
The EWE network companies are also reliable gas network
operators, with downtime totalling less than one minute per
customer and year. EWE laid the first large-scale natural gas
network in Germany over 50 years ago. We have been expand-
ing our infrastructure consistently ever since. We are currently
expanding the networks in our Polish and Turkish regions. We
are building a new, modern natural gas infrastructure in the
cities of Iznik and Develi.
Natural gas storage facilities make a significant contribution
to the security of our gas supply. With a working gas volume
of around 1.9 billion cubic metres, EWE is one of the major
storage facility operators in the European natural gas market.
We have facilities in Huntorf in the district of Wesermarsch,
in Nüttermoor, in the East Frisian municipality of Jemgum, in
Rüdersdorf near Berlin, and in Bremen-Lesum. These store gas
in caverns which are created in naturally-occurring salt domes
according to strict environmental and safety criteria.
In order to guarantee a secure supply of electricity, conven-
tional power plants will continue to be needed alongside re-
newable sources of energy over the coming decades. These in-
clude the conventional power plant blocks which swb operates
in Bremen and whose flexibility and efficiency has been con-
tinuously improved. > p. 34, Climate protection and generation;
see also Risk management, p. 14
24
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
NETWORKS
þ In Germany, our networks supply around
984,800 houses with electricity, 851,100
houses with gas and 32,600 houses with
telephone and internet services
>> þ G4-EU03.
þ Our electricity network in the Ems/Weser/
Elbe and Bremen regions covers 92,500
kilometres.
Our 69,500 kilometre gas network supplies gas
to customers in our German regions, in the
Turkish cities of Bursa and Kayseri, and in parts
of south and west Poland.
15,100 kilometres of our telecommunications
network is copper, with fibre optic cable
accounting for a further 21,200 kilometres. At
36,300 kilometres, our telecommunications
network is one of the largest and most powerful
networks in Germany >> þ G4-EU04.
SMART GRIDS
Network infrastructure operators face the challenge of in-
tegrating renewable energies without endangering network
stability. Smart grids will play an ever increasing role in
overcoming this hurdle. They use information and commu-
nications technology alongside modern control technology
to compensate for fluctuations in the supply and demand of
energy.
EWE NETZ is currently using smart local network stations in
Emsland to test how to feed in more electricity from pho-
tovoltaic power plants and other renewable sources without
expanding the network. These stations control the voltage
automatically, avoiding the increases in voltage which push
the networks to the limits of their capacity. Local network
stations use a transformer to connect the local low-voltage
networks with regional medium-voltage networks, which are
operated at a higher voltage.
As part of the 2009 eTelligence project, EWE conducted field
tests in Cuxhaven to determine how smart decentralised
energy management could work. The ongoing Green Access
research project is developing control concepts to enable
the components in the network to communicate with one
another. As autonomously learning systems, they are de-
signed to adapt to changes like the connection of new elec-
tricity generators and consumers. EWE is working together
with partners from the fields of science and industry to test
how automation solutions like these can be implemented.
> Continue on p. 28
25
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
“Disastrous”, “terrible”, “unbearable” – these words come
up again and again when council chairmen Heino Neumann
and Wolfgang Siems talk about what the internet used to
be like in the villages of Hollriede and Tarbarg near Wester-
stede. “Everything would just stop working in the afternoon
and evening. Children couldn’t do their homework and the
only way our local fire brigade could communicate with the
new command centre in Oldenburg was by radio,” Heino
Neumann recalled. “We complained about the issues for
years, but things only improved when EWE got involved at
the start of 2014.”
The 300 residents of Tarbarg and 400 residents of Hollriede
now have access to a broadband network with transfer rates
of up to 50 megabits per second (Mbps), as do the 25 houses
along the five-kilometre road connecting the two villages.
Technology that would provide internet access to hundreds
of people in a city was installed just for them.
Ralf von Dzwonkowski, EWE’s municipal supervisor in Ammer-
land, still remembers how it all began. The local associations
invited every high-speed internet provider to an information-
al meeting, and EWE was the only one that came. He quickly
realised that EWE was a local supplier and service provider
that wouldn’t let the residents of Hollriede and Tarbarg be
left behind when it came to internet access. However, it was
also clear that five kilometres of fibre optic cable and three
service area interfaces would be needed to connect the 220
houses in the areas. “Financially, it just wasn’t viable.”
This dilemma was solved when EWE joined forces with the
local residents and the members of the local associations
decided to handle the excavation work themselves. Local Engaging with EWE – council chairmen Wolfgang Siems (left) and Heino Neumann
“It got a lot easier for people to find tenants as soon as we announced that high-speed
internet was on its way.”
BROADBAND EXPANSION: EWE AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
WORKING TOWARDS A SHARED GOAL
Wolfgang Siems
26
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
High-speed internet makes communication easier between the local Westerstede fire brigade and its command centre in Oldenburg.
construction companies provided excavators and diesel and
also offered their specialists to cross domestic connections or
tunnel under intersections. EWE kept a close eye on the work.
Having members of the public set up the infrastructure in-
stead of specialist companies was the exception rather than
the rule for the company.
The local associations provided around 4,000 man-hours,
which weren’t enough to make the project economically
viable over the long term. EWE needed a connection agree-
ment from half of the households; these residents would also
have to pay a one-off fee of 200 euros to go towards the con-
struction costs. EWE and the local associations managed to
overcome this hurdle together in just a few weeks.
Broadband availability has spurred development in the
villages. Building plots are selling again in Hollriede and
the Chairman of Tarbarg’s local association Wolfgang Siems
knows that. “It got a lot easier for people to find tenants as
soon as we announced that high-speed internet was on its
way,” he said. “For EWE,” said Ralf von Dzwonkowski, “the
project is tangible proof of what members of the public can
achieve when they work together with their provider. Set-
ting up a broadband connection is worth it economically if it
results in long-term customer loyalty.”
27OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
> BROADBAND EXPANSION IN RURAL REGIONS
EWE is at the forefront of broadband expansion in north-
west Germany. Over the past few years, we have connected
over 4,000 service area interfaces – cabinets which connect
secondary cables to main cables – to our fibre optic net-
work. We connected over 1,000 in the reporting year alone.
We currently have a network of around 36,000 kilometres.
This puts us in a position to supply over a million households
with high speed internet. We are connecting not only towns
and cities, but also selected rural areas, thereby making the
region more competitive.
We are combining a number of different models to connect
as many households as possible while remaining cost-ef-
fective. A significant proportion of this expansion is being
financed with our own investment. We are also using Euro-
pean subsidies and entering into regional partnerships with
municipalities and districts. þ We invested around EUR
62 million in broadband expansion in 2014 >> þ TC-IO01.
þ We will continue with this expansion over the coming
years. Around another 13,300 residential units in 29 local
network regions will reap the benefits of 32 funding schemes
awarded to EWE subsidiary EWE TEL GmbH (EWE TEL) in
2014 >> þ TC-PA01. Over 220,000 households will be con-
nected to the broadband network in 2015 alone off the back
of our own investment.
POWER OUTAGE TIMES
EUR 62million
was invested by EWE
in broadband expansion in 2014.
5.5 min.
per customer
in 2014
75%of the electricity
transported by EWE NETZ
comes from renewable sources.
28
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITYINNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
EWE is committed to weaving energy, telecommunications and
information technology together to form intelligent systems
and help shape the energy supply of the future. We focus on
growth opportunities which will provide significant added val-
ue for our stakeholders. We believe that our customers and em-
ployees should shape the energy turnaround instead of just
being passive participants. That‘s why we want to incorporate
their ideas into our innovation management process. Through
our research and development activities, they are brought to
market in the form of sustainable products and services.
OUR OBJECTIVE
BRINGING ENERGY, TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND IT
TOGETHER TO CREATE INNOVATIONS
We want to make our company more innovative. That’s
why EWE is developing a virtual innovation portal so that
employees (and later customers) have a system to submit
their ideas. We will measure our progress based on how many
of the ideas submitted through the portal are incorporated
into a project. We intend to work on ten innovative proposals
per year by 2020. þ Until the innovation portal is imple-
mented, employees can write their proposals on cards and
put them in suggestion boxes at any of EWE’s sites. An inno-
vation team of managers from every area was set up in 2013
to evaluate and follow up on interdisciplinary suggestions
related to new markets or technologies >> þ EWE-FK02.
OUR WAY FORWARD
RESEARCHING SMART ENERGY SYSTEMS
Our research and development activities are focused on
preparing for the upcoming changes in the energy industry.
We concentrate on decentralised energy management issues.
We create networks and further the transfer of knowledge
by working together with industrial partners and scientific
institutions.
One example is the “green2store” collaborative project. The
objective of this project is to combine decentralised storage
capacities to form a large virtual storage unit and manage it
centrally. These capacities will be provided to energy traders,
electricity generators and consumers temporarily on demand
without them needing to operate the storage units them-
selves. This represents a better way to use power from renew-
able energies and integrate it into the electricity network. We
will be conducting a technical field test with nine domestic
battery storage units in the Lower Saxon city of Friesoythe
in 2015.
29
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
AWARDS
EWE AG named
“Best Innovator”
for sustainable innovation management
(2009)
EWE subsidiary E3/DC
presented with the
“pv magazine award top innovation”
(2014)
Offshore wind farm Riffgat recognised as
“Best project of the year”
with German Renewable Award
(2014)
The focus of the research project “Controlled Charging V3.0”
is designing IT systems which use a smart energy manage-
ment system to optimise the process of charging electric
vehicles. The project takes the fluctuating supply of energy
from renewable sources and the current infrastructure into
account, and aims to make good use of the existing infra-
structure while avoiding peak loads and maintaining the
mobility of the user. EWE is developing a controllable home
charging station which takes every issue related to the ener-
gy industry and marketing into consideration – such as com-
patibility with all standardised electric vehicles.
þ We invested a total of EUR 2.6 million in research and de-
velopment in 2014 >> þ EWE-ZA01. The Association for the
Promotion of Science and Humanities in Germany (Stifter-
verband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e. V.) gave us their
“Innovation through Research” seal of approval for our
activities in 2014.
MAKING ENERGY EFFICIENCY A FOCAL ELEMENT OF
OUR PRODUCTS
We are committed to providing products, services and tech-
nologies which are environmentally friendly and tailored
to the requirements of our customers. EWE developed the
EQOO domestic storage system > p. 32, “EQOO makes the
Tepe family more independent”, which lets our customers cov-
er up to 70 per cent of their annual energy requirements with
solar power that they produce themselves.
30
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
enquiries responded to
by EWE regarding energy
and building technology
consultations performed
on energy services
in 2014
downloads
of the EWE Energy Manager App
in 2014
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
8,000
6,000
We provide our private customers with advice about energy
efficiency, and also prepare energy reports for local author-
ities. We provide energy management advice for business
customers, including energy audits for their facilities, train-
ing for employees and implementation services for projects.
The German Energy Agency presented the “Energy con-
trolling in performance contracting” project, developed by
EWE VERTRIEB GmbH (EWE VERTRIEB) and the municipality
of Grossenkneten, with the “Energy Efficiency Good Practice”
award. The purpose of this project is to set up a municipal
energy management system not only to reduce the energy
consumption and CO2 emissions of properties in the mu-
nicipality, but also to reduce pressure on the municipality’s
budget. Energy costs have already gone down by six per cent
just one year after the system was implemented.
We have provided electricity and gas products generated
from renewable sources since 2007. Our swb Strom proNatur
and EWE Strom NaturWatt products come 100 per cent from
renewable sources. TÜV NORD awarded the latter its “Certi-
fied Green Energy” certificate in 2014. TÜV NORD certified
our natural gas fuel product (CNG) as a “Certified Biogas
Product” due to the share of biogas.
10,000
31
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
The sun provides enough energy for everyone on Earth –
that’s a cornerstone of the energy turnaround. Electricity
should be available everywhere and at any time – that’s a
basic foundation for our day-to-day life. To reconcile these
two principles, we have to develop storage technology until
it is ready for the market; EWE did just that with the EQOO
domestic storage system. People also have to be prepared
to invest in these technologies, and that’s just what the Tepe
family in Cloppenburg did.
The Tepe family from Cloppenburg uses solar power from the EQOO domestic storage system.
“We didn’t want to be tied in
to rising electricity prices.”
In June 2014, EWE installed a photovoltaic power plant on
their roof and the EQOO domestic storage system, which is
shaped like a box and about one square metre in size, in an
alcove in the hall of their house. The smart system routes the
solar electricity directly to the family’s computers, lights and
appliances. If Patric, Gaby, Ayleen and Fynn Tepe aren’t using
a lot of electricity at the moment, the excess energy is stored
in the batteries. When those batteries are fully charged and
the photovoltaic power plant is generating more power than
the house requires, the excess is fed into the EWE network
and the family is compensated. However, if the storage
system is empty and the sun happens to duck behind the
clouds, EWE provides the Tepe family with power.
Gaby Tepe
EQOO MAKES THE TEPE FAMILY
MORE INDEPENDENT
32
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:INNOVATION AND PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
Self-sufficiency is the immediate response when you ask
them why they chose the EQOO system. “We didn’t want to
be tied in to rising electricity prices,” said Patric and Gaby
Tepe. In the past, they always just went with the cheapest
provider. “We were fed up with switching all the time. It just
wasn’t getting us anywhere. Now that we have the EQOO,
we can be pretty certain about how much we will be spending
on electricity for the next 15 or 20 years.”
The first nine months have convinced Patric and Gaby Tepe
that they made the right decision. The Tepe family reduced
their electricity bill by around 65 per cent between June and
October. The solar energy that they produced covered 27 per
cent of their energy needs between November and February,
when there wasn’t much sun.
The family helped themselves by matching their electricity
consumption habits to their energy supply. They normally
A photovoltaic power plant on the roof enables solar energy to be captured and fed into the domestic storage system.
turn on the appliances which use the most power, like their
washing machine, when the sun is shining. But Gaby Tepe
also added: “We both work, so the system does have its
limits.” The family can see how much solar power is available
at any given moment by checking an app on their phones.
“But if we’re not home, we can’t react when we get some
unexpected sunshine.” So there’s still room for improvement
in the technological development of smart homes.
Patric and Gaby Tepe will become even more self-sufficient if
they decide to expand their electricity storage system. Their
heating system is twenty years old, and there would be quite
a few benefits to using a heat pump to get heat energy from
the outside air. “The pump would draw power from the larger
storage unit.”
An app shows the Tepe family how much solar power is currently available.
33
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
As an energy provider, we are particularly responsible for the
protection of the climate. We want to drive the growth of re-
newable energies in our regions. That’s why we have been in-
vesting in wind power for over 25 years – first on land, and also
offshore since 2008. Over 30 per cent of the electricity1 that
we generate comes from renewable energies, and this number
is increasing every year. Conventional power generation must
complement renewables until they can cover all of our energy
requirements. EWE’s Bremen-based swb operates efficient
coal, gas and blast furnace gas power plants on three different
sites along with two waste processing plants.
OUR OBJECTIVE
MAKE ENERGY GENERATION MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY
FRIENDLY
Reducing CO2 emissions is at the heart of climate protection
and is an integral part of the EU’s climate protection targets
for 2030. We are playing our part by increasing the efficiency
of our generation facilities and expanding the use of renewable
energies. We measure our progress in this area on the basis of
how effectively we reduce our CO2 emissions per generated
kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity. We want to reduce this
number by 40 per cent by 2020 compared to 2005 levels.
þ In the reporting year, our specific CO2 emissions were 540 g/
kWh2 >> þ EWE-FK03, þ G4-EN18. This represents a 34.8 per
cent decrease compared to 2005. We are using 2005 as a refer-
ence point because that is when we started using a CO2 data-
base to monitor our CO2 emissions. This calculation includes
conventional, combined heat and power plants (CHP plants),
waste processing plants and renewable energy facilities.
OUR WAY FORWARD
MAKE GREATER USE OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES:
A FOCUS ON WIND POWER
We use the renewable sources of wind, sun, biomass, waste3
and water to generate electricity and heat, and are focused
on expanding the use of wind power.
We have been operating onshore wind turbines for 25 years,
with just under 100 plants in our regions producing 152
mega watts (MW)4 of power. We have also been involved in
offshore wind power for over five years. In 2008, EWE played
a leading role in the construction of Germany’s first offshore
wind farm, alpha ventus. The purpose of this pioneering pro-
ject was to demonstrate that wind farms are economically
and technically viable. Another milestone was passed in Feb-
ruary 2014 when Riffgat, the first commercial wind farm in
the German North Sea, came online. Riffgat has 30 wind tur-
bines with a total capacity of 108 MW > p. 38 “EWE setting
new offshore standards”. In 2014, Riffgat and alpha ventus
generated a combined 592,346 megawatt hours (MWh) of
electricity. That is equivalent to the annual electricity con-
sumption of around 170,000 homes.
1 — Not including electricity generation from blast furnace gas2 — Not including CO2 emissions from blast furnace gas. The
entire carbon footprint of our thermal waste management comes from the products and consumables that are disposed of. Our electricity and district heating from waste incineration energy products are therefore considered CO2-neutral, i.e. they produce net emissions of 0 g CO2/kWh.
3 — According to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), around half of the energy generated from waste is considered renewable. This is because some of the waste comes from plant-based sources and is therefore CO2-neutral when burned.
4 — Including partially-owned capacity from shareholdings measured using the equity method
34
900
800
600
700
500
2005 2013 2014201220112010
400
2006 2007 2008 2009
540
784
79081
5
828
786
728
728
722
658
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
5 — Waste-to-energy is listed entirely under conventional generation in this representation, even if the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) deems around half of the energy generated from waste to be renewable. This is because some of the waste comes from plant-based sources and is therefore CO2-neutral when burned.
6 — Major facilities of swb Erzeugung und Entsorgung; including mothballed blocks
7 — Contrary to indicator G4-EU01, this also includes electricity generation from combined heat and power plants.
SPECIFIC CO2 EMISSIONS FROM ELECTRICITY GENERATION
INSTALLED ELECTRICAL CAPACITY
AS AT 31.12.2014 (in MW)
þ
ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN 2014, BROKEN DOWN
BY PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCES (in GWh)
þ
EWE has reduced its CO2 emissions per generated kilowatt hour or electricity continuously since 2005.
YEAR
g C
O2/k
Wh
el
Total5 1,348
Renewables4 303
Onshore wind 152
Offshore wind 137
Other (raw biogas, photovoltaic, hydroelectric) 14
Conventional6 1,045
Hard coal 553
Blast furnace gas/converter gas 176
Natural gas 155
Light oil 86
Waste to Energy 75
Total7 5,010
Hard coal 2,295
Blast furnace gas 1,065
Wind 757
Waste to energy 595
Other (bio natural gas, raw biogas, natural gas, replacement fuels, fuel oil, sewage gas, solar, water)
298
þ G4-EU01
þ G4-EU02
35
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
This shows how significantly wind energy contributed to our
improved CO2 balance in the reporting year8.
MAKING CONVENTIONAL FACILITIES MORE EFFICIENT
In addition to expanding our use of renewable energies, we
are investing systematically in the efficiency and flexibility
of our conventional facilities. The EWE subsidiary swb com-
mitted to this path in 2009 by building and bringing into ser-
vice a modern waste processing plant and medium calorific
power plant. Around half of the waste comes from plant-
based sources and is therefore CO2-neutral when burned. The
2013 renovation of the waste incineration power plant also
improved performance, with it now generating three times as
much electricity from the same amount of waste.
swb increased efficiency by around two per cent in the re-
porting year by modernising the largest coal block in the
Bremen-Hafen power plant. We also took two hard coal
blocks in the Bremen-Hastedt and Hafen power plants offline
at the end of 2013 because they no longer met our efficiency
and economic viability requirements. We will keep them in
reserve so that they can be used in an emergency. We have
also modernised a number of combined heat and power
plants and switched to the CO2-neutral fuel biomethane.
swb uses standardised environmental management systems
to monitor and comply with legal requirements and internal
targets. Its generation facilities have been ISO 14001-certified
since 2009. The Bremen waste incineration power plant has
been monitored in accordance with the EU Eco-Management
and Audit Scheme (EMAS) since 1998. The same scheme has
been used for the medium calorific power plant since 2009.
CONSTRUCTION OF A GAS AND STEAM TURBINE
POWER PLANT
In order for the energy turnaround to be successful, we need
flexible conventional power plants which are able to com-
pensate for the fluctuating amount of energy coming from
renewables over the next few decades. That’s why swb built
a gas and steam turbine power plant in Bremen-Mittels-
büren, which is scheduled to go online in 2015. The distin-
guishing feature of this power plant is that it can increase
and decrease its output quickly. The plant will run on envi-
ronmentally friendly natural gas and has a capacity of around
445 MW. It has an efficiency coefficient of around 58 per
cent, the highest of any fossil fuel power plant. This means
that it generates the most electricity possible from the fuel
that it uses. A significant part of the generating capacity of
the plant has already been sold on a long term basis.
PROTECT BIODIVERSITY
We are committed to having as little impact on ecosystems
as possible. When this is unavoidable, we repair any damage
that we cause. We comply with all relevant environmen-
tal requirements as a matter of principle. þ EWE only has
a small number of sites in protected areas. The Ems Emden
wind power plant, one of over 20 onshore wind power sites
that our Group operates, is located in a flora/fauna habitat
region. EWE has established a recovery area of 3.6 hectares
to implement flora and fauna regeneration measures >> þ
G4-EN11, þ G4-EN12, þ G4-EU13.
8 — The 592,346 MWh of electricity generated relates to 100 per cent of the shareholdings; only the equity interest allocated to EWE was used to calculate the specific CO2 value.
36
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
20%
31.3%
þ Reduction in CO2 emissions 20149
compared to 2013 of just under 20 per cent to
2,263,475 Mg2
>> þ G4-EN15, þ G4-EN19
108 MW
Offshore wind farm brought online in 2014
(Riffgat offshore wind farm)
Share of renewable energies
in electricity generation in 2014
þ We also have three transformer stations that were
built between 1970 and 1995 in an area in the District of
Wittmund, and this area was designated an ornithological
reserve in 2011. The gas storage facility that was built in 2013
in Jemgum, East Frisia is located on the outskirts of an or-
nithological reserve. Measures to improve biodiversity were
implemented over an area of 40 hectares to compensate for
this. There were no new sites in protected areas during the
reporting year >> þ G4-EN11, G4-EN12, G4-EU13.
EWE supports biodiversity research projects. The German
Federal Environment Ministry’s RAVE research initiative (Re-
search at Alpha Ventus) has examined for example the im-
pact that the construction and operation of the alpha ventus
wind farm have had on biodiversity. After a five year research
period, the conclusion was reached that the offshore wind
facilities have had much less of an impact on the ecosystem
than expected. The scientists found that fish biodiversity had
increased. The foundations of the turbines serve as artificial
reefs, where mussels, sea anemones and other species have
settled. There was no wide-spread destruction of fauna, as we
had feared, neither were large numbers of migrating birds in-
jured as a result of colliding with the wind turbines. Research-
ers also found that operating the wind farm had no impact on
marine mammals.
9 — Direct emissions from electricity and heat generation facilities; not including CO2 emissions from blast furnace gas.
37
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
Planning is underway for more than 50 wind farms in the
North Sea. North Sea ports are ready for an offshore boom,
and several companies in the Northwest are raring to invest.
With the Riffgat wind farm, EWE has demonstrated that off-
shore wind farms can be built in a feasible time frame and an
environmentally friendly manner.
The transformer station transforms the generated electricity and feeds it into the onshore transmission network through a 70 kilometre long export cable.
“We had a competent team to plan the construction in detail and
make the plan a reality.”
The company needed just 14 months, from June 2012 to July
2013, to build 30 Siemens wind turbines with a total output
of 108 MW 15 kilometres off the coast of Borkum and con-
nect them to the transformer substation in the wind farm.
According to Irina Lucke, Riffgat Technical Project Manager
and Managing Director of EWE Offshore Service & Solutions
GmbH (EWE OSS), “this was possible because we had a com-
petent team to plan the construction in detail and make the
plan a reality.” The first commercial wind farm in the North
Sea now generates enough green energy for more than
120,000 homes.
EWE focused on minimising the environmental impact of the
construction of the wind farm in the planning phase. One of
their main concerns was protecting fish and marine mammals
against the noise emissions that would be caused when sink-
Irina Lucke, Riffgat Technical Project Manager and Managing Director, EWE OSS
EWE SETTING NEW
OFFSHORE STANDARDS
38
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
Within 14 months, EWE has installed 30 wind turbines over an area meas-uring around six square kilometres.
ing the pillars. To do this, EWE used a vibratory pile driver to
drive the pillars into the first few metres of the seabed. A sec-
ond metal tube was then lowered into the water around the
monopiles. The space between the two was then filled with
air bubbles. This was the first time that this technique had
been used commercially. Instead of reverberating un impeded
through the North Sea, the sound waves created by the ram-
ming lost energy as they moved through the metal, water
and bubbles. EWE’s experience with its previous offshore pro-
ject alpha ventus shows that marine life will shelter near the
wind farm because fishing is not allowed in its vicinity. 3,000
Heligoland lobsters were introduced at four wind turbines
in summer 2014 to investigate the new habitat among the
rocks that will protect the turbines against scour.
Environmental awareness was one of the reasons that the
Renewable Energy Hamburg Cluster named Riffgat the “Best
Project in 2014”. The network presented the company with
the German Renewable Award in front of 2,000 guests on the
opening day of the WindEnergy fair in Hamburg.
EWE’s Riffgat project not only bolstered the coastal region’s
reputation as a source of environmentally friendly energy, but
also increased the region’s expertise in this area. “Offshore
wind farms are still pretty unusual,” said Irina Lucke. “But
standards and processes are generally becoming more and
more important when it comes to building and operating off-
shore wind farms. That’s why our recent ISO 9001 certifica-
tion is an important factor for EWE OSS.” EWE is also making
the expertise that it has gathered from planning, building and
operating the wind farm available to others. EWE OSS helps
companies in both the planning and construction phase, and
can also take on responsibility for operating offshore wind
farms upon request. Irina Lucke: “This is a real advantage of
our regional structure. We’re based on the coast, so it doesn’t
take us long to get to any of the wind farms.”
39
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
Handling resources and the environment responsibly is part of
EWE’s identity. That’s why a comprehensive environmental man-
agement system was set up in 1998 at the power plants of EWE’s
subsidiary swb. The subsidiary also publishes relevant indicators
such as CO2 emissions in a regular environmental report.
We focus on reducing internal energy consumption to conserve
resources. We want to identify and utilise potential improve-
ments in this area across the Group. Setting up energy manage-
ment systems will give us the framework we require to do so.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO MINIMISE INTERNAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION
In 2014, we decided to put a system in place to record and
analyse our internal electricity, heat and fuel consumption
and to define measures to minimise this consumption. We are
using energy management systems to set up standardised
processes, which we will improve continuously. We measure
our progress in this area based on the number of certificates
that our companies are awarded. We want to have twelve
selected companies ISO 50001-certified for energy man-
agement systems by 2020. These are EWE AG as the holding
company and subsidiaries with a high level of energy con-
sumption.
OUR WAY FORWARD
SAVING ENERGY SYSTEMATICALLY
þ The EWE company swb Services and our Turkish network
company Bursagaz were ISO 50001-certified in 2011. Group
subsidiary EWE GASSPEICHER GmbH (EWE GASSPEICHER)
was certified in 2013, while EWE VERTRIEB was certified in
2014 >>þ EWE-FK04. They were followed in 2015 by EWE
ERNEUERBARE ENERGIEN, swb CREA, swb Erzeugung und
Entsorgung, wesernetz Bremen and wesernetz Bremerhaven.
We want to continue down this path in the next few years
and have other companies certified, including our largest,
EWE NETZ.
INTRODUCTION OF AN ENERGY MONITORING SYSTEM
We will also set up an overarching Group-wide energy
monitoring system into which we will integrate our existing
and future energy management systems. Companies which
have not begun the process of implementing a management
system by the end of 2015 will carry out an energy audit in
accordance with the German Energy Services Act (Energie-
dienstleistungsgesetz). This will also be integrated into the
energy monitoring system.
We have been recording the energy consumption of our ad-
ministrative buildings for years. In future, they will form an
important part of the energy monitoring system. We will
evaluate energy conservation measures that have already
been implemented for these buildings and expand them to
other sites if suitable. These measures include building a geo-
thermal facility for heating and cooling buildings or introduc-
ing floor lamps and proximity sensors. We will be focusing on
our data centres in 2015.
40
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
þ Our administrative buildings and data centres consumed
297.1 terajoules (TJ) in the reporting year >> þ G4-EN03.
This is equivalent to 82.5 gigawatt hours (GWh). 47.5 GWh
of this was electrical energy for lighting, IT and communi-
cations equipment, cooling for data centres, air conditioning
and ventilation technology, etc. 35 GWh were used to heat
rooms and for other heating.
OPTIMISING FLEET CONSUMPTION
EWE has implemented pilot projects to optimise fuel con-
sumption in the areas of employee mobility and the company
fleet. For example, we have introduced pedelecs and electric
vehicles at some sites, and have set up electric charging
stations at various branch offices. 49 per cent of our 2,063
company vehicles are diesel- powered. 41 per cent are natural
gas- powered, and a further 10 per cent run on petrol. þ The
energy consumption of our fleet was 121.6 TJ in the reporting
year >> þ G4-EN03. This corresponds to around 16.4 MWh
per vehicle. We will set up a Group-wide fleet management
system in 2015 to combine the existing fleets of individual
companies and make them more efficient.
12certified
companies
OBJECTIVE 2020
ISO 50001
ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
4certified
companies
STATUS 2014
41
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
EWE’s Turkish subsidiaries Bursagaz and Enervis are building
their new headquarters in accordance with the criteria of
the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
international standard for ecological construction. The 300
employees in Bursa, 90 kilometres from Istanbul, will be able
to move into the six-storey building, which provides around
5,600 square metres of office space, in the middle of 2015.
“We want to have as little impact on the environment as
possible and take a stand for energy efficiency, which is still
very much in its infancy in Turkey,” said Dr. Frank Quante, the
The new corporate building in Bursa has its own combined heat and power plant, solar generators and wind turbines to enable it to generate part of the needed electricity itself.
“We want to take a stand for energy efficiency.”
Dr. Frank Quante, Managing Director of EWE Turkey Holding
Managing Director of EWE Turkey Holding. “The building will
generate a significant amount of the electricity and heat that
it uses. We will also optimise our energy and water consump-
tion,” added Sükrü Özden, Bursagaz’s Managing Director in
charge of technology. Their EWE colleagues in Oldenburg
helped them to do this with their specialist expertise. The
Green Building Council based in Washington, DC has awarded
the LEED certificate to just 100 buildings in Turkey. The gold
ENERGY CONCEPT FOR NEW HEADQUARTERS IN BURSA MEETS
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD
42
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
status of this standard, which the EWE subsidiaries hope to
achieve, has only been awarded once there.
The new building in Bursa incorporates efficient building
technology that meets the criteria of the gold level. At its
heart lies a combined heat and power plant whose waste
heat can be used to cool and heat the building simultane-
ously. This will reduce CO2 emissions by 30 per cent. Ten per
cent of the building’s electricity needs will also be generated
from renewable sources, with a 45-kilowatt-peak (kWp) solar
power system installed on the roof. An additional 100 square
metres of semi-permeable solar cells with a nominal output
of 5 kWp has been installed on the façade. The building also
has two 2 kW wind turbines which can provide electricity
even when wind speeds are low. The subsidiaries also plan to
install a system that will use fibre optic cables to bring sun-
light to rooms which don’t have any access to natural light
and the basement.
“The new headquarters will strengthen the reputation
of Bursagaz and Enervis as role models for the Turkish
energy market.”
You can’t reach the gold level with energy efficiency alone,
though. Rainwater and wastewater which is not heavily con-
taminated will be collected inside the building to be reused in
the toilets. The plot which EWE purchased for the new build-
ing also has good links to public transport. Special bicycle
spaces, showers and changing rooms are available for em-
ployees who cycle to work. There are also charging stations
for electric vehicles. At night, the building is lit in a way that
is appropriate for the surrounding area in accordance with the
LEED criteria. Any waste created during construction will be
separated at the construction site and prepared for recycling.
The new headquarters meet our own demanding energy effi-
ciency requirements as well as regulations set by the Turkish
government. These regulations require the industrial sector
to use 15 per cent and buildings to use 27 per cent less energy
by 2023. For Dr. Frank Quante, this not only provides extra
motivation, but also increases the size of the market for
efficiency services. “The new headquarters will strengthen
the reputation of Bursagaz and Enervis as role models for the
Turkish energy market.”
Dr. Frank Quante
43
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
As a predominantly municipally owned utility company, EWE is
committed to regional responsibility. We actively seek out dia-
logue with the people in our regions. We are committed to ed-
ucation, science, culture, sport and social issues, and to creat-
ing value in the region. Our Group’s activities create jobs and
generate income in our regions. This was confirmed by a
scientific investigation by the research and consultancy firm
CONOSCOPE. EWE has a significant indirect and direct eco-
nomic impact on the region. > see box on the next page
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE REGION’S DEVELOPMENT
We have set ourselves the objective of continuing to contrib-
ute to the region’s development through our activities. We
use a regionality index to check how effectively we do this.
This index is calculated on the basis of the BDEW Customer
Focus (German Association of Energy and Water Industries)
study. The index is based on two survey criteria which our
customers rate on a given scale: “EWE is important to the
region” and “EWE supports education, sport, culture and so-
ciety”. We use the ratings to calculate a weighted index val-
ue between zero (completely disagree) and 100 (completely
agree).
Our aim is to achieve a result that outperforms the industry
average by 2020. This average in 2014 was 68. þ Collective-
ly, the figure for EWE and swb came to 72; this figure was
calculated using the individual figures for the two companies
>> þ EWE-FK05. We want to keep it at this level, despite
challenging market conditions and the ensuing need for cost
reduction measures. If the industry average falls in coming
years, we will strive to keep our index value over 67.
OUR WAY FORWARD
TO SUPPORT REGIONAL VALUE CREATION
We want everyone involved to play an active role, and to
this end, EWE has developed a variety of different business
models. EWE is setting up new wind farms in the region in
partnership with citizens, local authorities and landowners.
The first wind farm to be partially owned by a local authority
is located near Spolsen in the district of Frisia and has been
providing electricity since the end of 2013.
We also allow towns, cities and municipalities to invest in
our network companies and receive a guaranteed dividend.
EWE publicised an additional investment offer in 2014 to at-
tract undecided local authorities and those looking to add to
their existing shareholdings. A total of 25.1 per cent of EWE
NETZ is available to invest in until 2018. The cities of Bremen
and Bremerhaven have held a 25.1 per cent stake in each of
the network companies wesernetz Bremen and wesernetz
Bremerhaven since July 2014.
EWE sponsors around 300 cultural, social and sporting pro-
jects each year. In addition to the Oldenburg-based basket-
ball team EWE Baskets, football team Werder Bremen and
Turkish sports club Bursaspor, EWE cofinances events such as
the Bremen Music Festival, the Brandenburg State Orchestra
of Frankfurt and the Beethoven Festival in Warsaw.
44
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
The figures2 from the 2012 CONOSCOPE study1 show that
EWE IS A SIGNIFICANT REGIONAL ECONOMIC FACTOR
1 — Ernst & Young Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft GmbH only audited how well external study reports were incorporated.
2 — Incorporates data from all fully consolidated EWE companies based in Germany. The analysis is based on data from the 2012 financial year. The term “region” in this case refers to the three regions which EWE is active in – Ems/Weser/Elbe, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Bran-denburg/Rügen. CONOSCOPE GmbH is a medium-sized research and consultancy firm based in Leipzig and Essen.
3 — “Indirect effects” are defined as effects that occur at a supplier level. “Induced effects” are effects caused by the consumer spending of EWE’s employees and the employees of companies that profit indirectly.
1. EWE CREATES 25,000 JOBS
EWE creates 17,043 additional full-time jobs in the region
indirectly through its business activities (purchases, capital
expenditure, tax payments) and the expenditure of its 7,746
employees. This means that each EWE employee accounts for
two other jobs.
2. EVERY OTHER EURO REMAINS IN THE REGION
Around 43 per cent of EWE’s expenditure (purchases, wages
and salaries, taxes, profits) remain in the regional economy,
equal to almost every other euro. A total of around EUR 1.7
billion remains in EWE’s regions.
3. EWE CREATES VALUE WORTH EUR 1.9 BILLION
Around EUR 1.9 billion of the region’s gross domestic product
can be traced back to the EWE Group’s activities. Personnel
expenses, tax payments and distributions of profits create
EUR 774.9 million in added value. An additional EUR 1,074.2
million of value is created at an indirect and induced level3,
e.g. as a result of purchases from suppliers or the expenditure
of employees in the region.
4. OVER EUR 1 BILLION IN INCOME TRICKLES DOWN TO
WORKERS IN THE REGION
In addition to the direct income of EWE employees, which
totals EUR 479.4 million, the business activities of EWE gen-
erate an additional EUR 555.6 million of indirect and induced
income. This means that every euro of Group income results
in EUR 1.20 income in the region.
5. EUR 600 MILLION IN TAXES AND LEVIES FLOW INTO
REGIONAL BUDGETS
EWE provides tax revenues of around EUR 1.3 billion. EUR 367
million of this remains in regional budgets. Orders submitted
to regional supply companies and the consumer spending of
employees generate additional tax payments worth EUR 227
million on an indirect and induced level >> þ G4-EC08.
þ
45
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
DIALOGUE WITH PEOPLE IN THE REGION
þ We have set up Group-wide dialogue formats to promote
dialogue with the people in our regions. They allow local au-
thorities to have a say about the plans of our company and
the issues facing it. One example is the Energy Turnaround
Forum, which enabled members of the public to say what
they think about the energy turnaround at nine sites in the
Ems/Weser/Elbe region between March and September 2014.
In a second stage, any particularly promising ideas were pre-
sented to business, political and government representatives
to get projects up and running with companies. > p. 48, “Get-
ting citizens involved speeds up the regional energy turnaround”
Since 2011, network advisory boards have given local autho-
rities the opportunity to voice their opinion about planned
or intended network expansion in each district without the
need for financial commitment. Three advisory boards, each
with 20 members, allow customers to provide new ideas, cri-
ticism or approval for the regions of Weser/Ems, Weser/Elbe
and Brandenburg. > p. 56, “Increasing customer loyalty with
openness and transparency”; >> þ G4-SO01
The ZentrumZukunft in the Emstek ecopark near Cloppen-
burg provides information about new energy technologies.
Group subsidiary EWE NETZ uses this site to demonstrate
how to integrate renewable energies into the network. Trai-
ning about the energy turnaround is available for schools and
colleges, tradespeople, architects, planning offices, local au-
thorities and associations. Over 40,000 people have visited
the ZentrumZukunft since it opened in 2008.
COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
EWE supports social projects and promotes education in
its regions. Bremen-based EWE subsidiary swb launched an
education initiative in 2003. It encourages nurseries, schools
and other educational institutions to implement innovative
learning methods and content. The Turkish EWE subsidiaries
Bursagaz and Kayserigaz hold regular energy efficiency semi-
nars in schools.
Our employees also have a part to play – they can choose
to donate the cent amount of their monthly salary as part
of the ‘last cents’ scheme. EWE matches the total and uses
the funds to support social projects in the region. In 2014,
these projects included the Varel hospice movement and the
children’s and family centre in Tostedt.
The EWE Foundation was established in 2002 and supports
local projects to do with education and childcare, science and
research, art and culture. These include art weeks, children’s
and youth theatre as well as literacy programmes. The
Foundation’s sole mandates are the causes it represents and
it serves only the general public.
46
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
4 — Additional information about the KPIs is available from p. 80 of the 2014 annual report onwards.
5 — Around 70 per cent of the donated funds were invested in research activities.
VALUE CREATED BY EWE IN 2014
in EUR million
Direct economic value generated in 20144
Sales without electricity and energy tax 8,134.2
Distributed economic value
Cost of materials and services 6,506.4
Personnel expenses 669.6
Interest expenses 230.5
Dividends 88.0
Income taxes 11.3
Investment in the community (donations)5 11.4
þ
þ G4-EC01
47
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
GETTING CITIZENS INVOLVED SPEEDS UP THE REGIONAL
ENERGY TURNAROUND
EWE is shaping the energy future in partnership with citizens.
The company’s Energy Turnaround Forum gave people in the
Ems/Weser/Elbe region a framework for discussing and devel-
oping ideas about a climate-friendly energy supply. Around
450 citizens took part in the Forum last year. They drew up
70 suggestions for a local energy turnaround in Wittmund,
Cloppenburg, Varel, Bad Bederkesa, Papenburg, Tostedt,
Delmenhorst, Bremervörde and Oldenburg. Fifteen of these
ideas were developed at the subsequent idea exchanges until
they were ready to be implemented.
Almost every idea presented at the Energy Turnaround Forum
had two things in common. Firstly, they made it clear that
attendees had a clear picture of their region and their living
conditions. And secondly, they all asked, “It’s so obvious how
we can save energy locally, increase efficiency and change
how we behave. Why doesn’t anyone else see that? Why isn’t
anyone else using these opportunities?” This is why the main
point of the ideas that came out of the Energy Turnaround
Forum was to bring all of the different stakeholders together
to get local initiatives and projects up and running. “This se-
ries of events gave us a good picture of what’s important to
people in the region. It broadened our horizons,” said EWE
Project Manager Sigrid Justus.
One local initiative was the idea of training school pupils to
be energy guides, which was presented in Wittmund. The plan
is to hold short seminars to train them on how to identify and
implement potential energy-saving measures. This knowl-
edge will spread from schools to families, allowing them to
make use of these ideas in their homes.
Attendees also discussed the issue of mobility among them-
selves and with specialists. The general consensus at the
event in Varel was that it’s just not right for drivers to be the
only person in their car. They agreed that more support was
needed for new usage concepts and alternative propulsion
systems. They proposed developing sharing projects for mo-
bility involving electric cars and bikes.Participants at the Energy Turnaround Forum discuss their ideas in Varel.
48
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
Sigrid Justus, Energy Turnaround Forum Project Manager
This in turn gave rise to the proposal that local authorities
should buy electric cars, use them during work hours and
then make them available to their citizens on weekends. This
could improve people’s willingness to engage with new us-
age concepts and environmentally friendly transport alter-
natives. Bernd Hoinke, the Head of Zetel District Council, is
in favour of making this idea a reality in Frisia. His district
bought an electric car and a car that runs on natural gas be-
fore the Energy Turnaround Forum, but can’t use them in a
car sharing model because of the leases they signed. “It just
didn’t occur to us,” he said regretfully. “That shows how im-
portant it is to partner together with members of the public
when looking for ideas for the energy future.” Fleet managers
and environment officers from other municipalities in Frisia
are now working on getting an electric vehicle sharing model
off the ground.
There was lively debate in Papenburg as well.
“This series of events gave us a good picture
of what’s important to people in the region.
It broadened our horizons.”
49
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
SUPPLY CHAIN
EWE is committed to acting sustainably in its dealings with par-
ties outside the company. We incorporate our suppliers and
service providers into our sustainability management system
to take full responsibility for our activities, make production
methods transparent and preserve our reputation.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO ESTABLISH A SUPPLIER CODE OF CONDUCT
We are implementing specific sustainability requirements for
our suppliers. þ We drew up a supplier code of conduct in
2014 to set specific standards regarding human rights and
working conditions, occupational safety, health, environ-
mental protection and integrity þ G4-EN32, þ G4-HR04, þ
G4-HR10, þ G4-LA14, þ EWE-FK06. We will be incorporating
the supplier code of conduct into our existing processes from
2015 onwards. Our objective: We want 95 per cent of our
strategic suppliers (long-term, significant partners of EWE)
of materials and services to sign up to the code of conduct by
2020. We will be measuring our progress based on how many
of these suppliers have signed up to the code of conduct. We
want to gradually expand our sustainability standards to the
procurement of coal and gas.
OUR WAY FORWARD
EXPANDING THE STRATEGIC
SUPPLIER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
We have been expanding the strategic supplier management
system continuously since 2011. This system provides the
framework for our sustainable approach to procurement: We
intend to make signing up to the supplier code of conduct
a requirement for all product groups and tenders where we
evaluate the suitability of potential suppliers (pre-qualifica-
tion). The code of conduct should also be part of our ten-
der documents so that suppliers can sign up to it before any
agreements are finalised.
We are committed to engaging with our business partners
about the issue of sustainability in order to increase ac-
ceptance of our sustainability requirements. This will give
us valuable input which we can use to improve our internal
sustainability management system. We will provide our em-
ployees in the Purchasing Corporate Centre function with
regular training about the main aspects of the sustainability
management system, and will also involve employees of our
subsidiaries in this process.
IMPLEMENTATION OF A BUSINESS PARTNER REVIEW
PROCESS
We also implemented a business partner review at the start
of 2015. The review covers sustainability criteria. For the pur-
pose of this review, we receive information about our part-
ners’ business practices.
50
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SUPPLY CHAIN
þ Our supply chain encompasses the purchase of material
and services, as well as coal and gas. We have regional, na-
tional and international supply relationships with around
10,000 companies from a wide range of sectors, including
plant and mechanical engineering, the metal industry, elec-
trical engineering, marketing, consultancy and information
technology. In 2014, our expenses were around EUR 1.05 bil-
lion for materials and services >> þ G4-12.
EWE is committed to long-term partnerships with suppliers.
We award contracts to companies from the regions in which
we are active whenever possible. þ Regional suppliers re-
ceived a large proportion of our expenses for material and
services in 2014 (approx. 43 per cent or EUR 450.8 million)
>> þ G4-EC09.
OUR SUPPLY CHAIN
We use long-term, medium-term and short-term natural
gas purchase agreements to guarantee moderate prices and
secure the supply of gas. We purchase the majority of our
natural gas from a range of international upstream suppliers.
Two thirds of the natural gas for our German regions comes
from German upstream suppliers; one third comes from the
Netherlands. We also use our gas storage facilities and short-
term trading to compensate for fluctuations in demand.
We cover two thirds of our demand for hard coal with im-
ports from Russia, with one third coming from the USA. Only
short-term and medium-term coal purchase agreements are
possible because of the volatile market price.
51
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
Long-term commitment, regional roots, high quality and fair
prices are the main criteria that EWE uses when choosing its
suppliers. This is demonstrated by EWE’s long-term partner-
ship with Waskönig+Walter, which is based in Saterland in
EWE gets more than just cables from Waskönig+Walter. “As
an independent family-run company, we think in genera-
tions rather than quarters,” said Michael Waskönig, who is
the fifth generation of his family to manage the company,
along with his brother Jörg and also Stefan Nestler. “For us,
financial success means maintaining our independence with
long-term profitable growth.” This keeps jobs safe for people
in the region and makes sure that the company will be able to
train and support its own staff in future. It is also committed
to a high standard of healthcare and occupational health and
safety. The company is OHSAS 18001-certified, which helps
the company to identify accident risks ahead of time and
minimise the impact on the health of its employees.
From EWE’s perspective, Waskönig+Walter’s responsible
approach and actions guarantee reliability and consistent
quality. Michael Waskönig used logistics and adherence to
delivery time-scales to demonstrate what this means: “When
we promise to deliver a certain length of this cable to a con-
struction site ready for laying at a specific time, we follow
through.” Knowing that you won’t have to delay construction
because you were given the wrong cable or it didn’t arrive on
time gives the company an advantage over competitors that
offer lower labour rates. With the right overall package, you
can manufacture cables in Germany’s industrial centres, pro-
vided that getting the cheapest price isn’t the only criterion.
Raw materials and cables are stored in a 240 metre long hall.
the district of Cloppenburg. The family company, founded in
1873, has over 500 employees. It uses 10,000 tonnes of alu-
minium, 50,000 tonnes of copper, 80,000 tonnes of plastic
and a little steel every year to make cables for low-voltage,
medium-voltage and high-voltage networks.
MORE THAN JUST CABLES – A LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP
FOR A STRONG REGION
52
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:SUPPLY CHAIN
Michael Waskönig, Managing Director of family company Waskönig+Walter
The cable manufacturer uses 50,000 tonnes of copper a year in its production facilities.
“When we promise to deliver a certain length of this cable to a construction site ready for laying at a specific time,
we follow through.”
Waskönig+Walter’s products are investment items for EWE.
The family company’s manufacturing processes reuse waste
and are constantly improving in terms of energy efficiency.
Heat, generated for example from the wire drawing process,
is used to heat the office building. The company has also
committed itself to reducing the amount of energy that it
consumes per tonne of cable by a few percentage points each
year. The small quantities of scrap material that the stream-
lined manufacturing process produces are collected and sort-
ed. The company then puts this scrap in a copper or alumini-
um smelter to produce the wires that Waskönig+Walter uses
as the base material for its cables. Any unavoidable plastic
remnants left over from the manufacture and processing of
insulation and cable sheaths are cleaned off and fed back
into the production process. The company is also happy to
calculate the carbon footprint of its products on behalf of its
customers.
53
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
ELECTRICITY PRICE COMPOSITION1 (in EUR)
Network costs: 227
Concession fee: 50
Electricity tax: 72
Industrial levy: 3
Renewable Energy Act (EEG)
levy: 218Offshore levy: 9
VAT: 170
Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG): 6
Energy costs incl. sales: 306
Interruptible loads: 0.5
1 — Composition of the electricity price with EWE Strom comfort with an annual consumption of 3,500 kWh in EWE VERTRIEB electricity sales region 7. As of: 1.1.2014
FACTOR WHICH CAN BE INFLUENCED BY EWE
The trust and satisfaction of our customers plays an important
part in the financial success of our company. We are committed
to high-quality services and transparent business processes in
order to remain attractive to our customers in an increasingly
competitive environment over the long term. This is particular-
ly important when pricing energy products because our in-
fluence here is limited by a range of factors which we have no
control over.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO BE A TRUSTWORTHY SERVICE PROVIDER AND
RELIABLE CONTRACT PARTNER
We want our customers to see and appreciate us as trust-
worthy service providers and reliable contract partners. We
use an annual customer loyalty index to gauge our success in
achieving this objective. We calculate this index on the basis
of the BDEW Customer Focus study. We form an aggregated
value from four customer service indicators, all of which are
available for EWE and swb: customer satisfaction, willing-
ness to recommend our company, likelihood of staying with
the company and comparison with competitors. We aim to
achieve a score of 74 on a scale of 0 (completely disagree)
to 100 (completely agree) by 2020. Our average customer
loyalty index was 68 between 2010 and 2013, slightly under
the average for the sector of 70. þ We improved this to 72 in
the reporting year. This score is for the Energy business area
>> þ EWE-FK07. In future, it will also cover the telecommu-
nications business area.
OUR WAY FORWARD
INTEGRITY AND TRANSPARENT COMPANY
MANAGEMENT
We believe that compliance is at the heart of responsible and
transparent company management. This includes compliance
with laws, regulations, obligations, internal guidelines and
voluntary commitments on the part of our employees and
their agents like service providers, consultants or agents. We
guarantee fair market behaviour by keeping EWE compliance
requirements.
54
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
Compliance officers work together with other specialist divi-
sions to help the company comply with requirements. They
review the regulations on a regular basis and amend them
if necessary. The Internal Audit division also reviews past
events. Employees and external parties can contact an ex-
ternal ombudsman to report potential rule violations. The
ombudsman is committed to keeping this information secret,
and may only release anonymised information about the case
to have it reviewed at the request of the person who reported
the incident.
þ There were no complaints or sanctions of a monetary or
non-monetary nature arising from non-compliance with laws
and regulations during the reporting year. There were also no
complaints related to the ecological impact of our activities
>> þ G4-SO08, þ G4-EN34.
CODE OF CONDUCT PROVIDES GUIDANCE
EWE introduced a Group-wide code of conduct in 2012. It
provides standards which our employees have to meet when
dealing with customers, business partners or officials. These
standards cover issues like accepting gifts or invitations or the
handling of information about the company and the property
and resources of the EWE Group. Every new employee is in-
formed about compliance and our code of conduct.
BEING ACTIVE WHERE OUR CUSTOMERS ARE
Our customers contact us about five million times per year.
We endeavour to provide them in good time and in person
with a high level of service. We achieve this with a dense
network of customer centres and service points in our re-
gions – with more than 40 sites, this is one of EWE’s unique
selling points.
We also worked on improving our service in 2014. Our sales
companies are currently revising their customer service
strategies for energy and telecommunications products.
We have launched a “Customer Service” project in the EWE
VERTRIEB and EWE TEL companies. As part of this project, we
will provide employees with training about communicating
with customers, amend our correspondence with customers
and optimise IT processes.
We also research trends and analyse markets. We use
post-contact surveys and customer satisfaction question-
naires to check whether our measures are having the desired
result. This helps us to continuously identify areas where we
could improve.
CERTIFIED PROCESSES, AWARD-WINNING SERVICE
Our telecommunications business area is ISO 9001 and ISO
10002-certified, showing that our quality management and
complaints management processes meet the demanding re-
quirements of our customers. The computer magazine CHIP
confirmed the high quality of the customer service provided
by our telecommunications division in 2014, with EWE’s DSL
and landline service hotline judged to be “very good”. They
were particularly impressed by the availability of the hotline
and how quickly they were able to speak to someone.
Energy customers also receive high quality service from
EWE. The magazine gave this service area a “good” rating.
The reviewers were particularly positive about our availabil-
ity, service and transparency.
55
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
“It needs to be easy to understand how energy is supplied,”
said Heinz Schirmer, who started his eighteen-month ten-
ure on EWE’s Brandenburg customer advisory board in the
middle of last year. Here’s what he makes of the board’s first
three meetings: EWE pays close attention when he tells them
Heinz Schirmer brings this information to bear in the nu-
merous “energy chats” that he has. “I have been going up to
people in the supermarket or on the street and asking them
how satisfied they are with their electricity and gas suppli-
er for years now. We talk about using modern technology in
their home,” explained the 66-year-old. His takeaway from
these chats? “People want to be involved. A lack of transpar-
ency leads to people making bad decisions and getting stuck
in their ways.” If people feel like they’re being ignored, they
tend to be more negative about wind farms, gas storage fa-
cilities and cable routes. Their choice of energy supplier then
becomes based on price alone.
Heinz Schirmer agrees that price is an important criterion,
“but customers shouldn’t lose sight of the advantages that
come with using a regional energy provider.” For instance,
customers can go into their local EWE customer centre to get
advice about which tariff is right for them or find out about
the latest technological developments. Regionality is a vital
prerequisite for a transparent energy market.
Heinz Schirmer frequently meets elderly and young people
who are stuck in their ways because of a lack of transparency.
“Elderly people resign themselves because there’s nobody to
help them understand all of the new technology and offerings
that are available.” On the other hand, young people, he said,
take energy for granted and expect it to just work without
any issues. “If it doesn’t, then it’s someone else’s fault.” Both
of these attitudes prevent energy from being used as well as
Heinz Schirmer, member of the EWE customer advisory board in Branden-burg
about what citizens want from their energy provider or are-
as where they do not have enough information or have pre-
conceived notions. EWE is also very open with the advisory
board members about why it does what it does and provides
extensive information about the legal framework and energy
policy.
INCREASING CUSTOMER LOYALTY WITH OPENNESS AND
TRANSPARENCY
56
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
it could be. That’s why Heinz Schirmer told the customer ad-
visory board that “we have to increase awareness of how to
use energy efficiently. EWE can help do this in Brandenburg.”
According to Nadine Auras, who is responsible for the cus-
tomer advisory boards in the Brandenburg/Rügen business
region, “that’s exactly the kind of information that we want
from our customer advisory boards.” EWE would then use
the feedback from the advisory boards to get better. “They
show us the areas where we need to be more transparent and
communicate more with customers.” That’s why the adviso-
ry boards focus on straight talk rather than small talk when
they meet, she said. The members of the advisory boards set
the agenda. The first two meetings focused on the future of
energy supply. Now service, customer loyalty and prices are
on the docket.
Constructive criticism wanted: meeting of the customer advisory board in Wildau, Brandenburg
EWE has also been communicating with custom-
ers through three customer advisory boards in
the Weser-Ems, Weser-Elbe and Brandenburg
regions since 2011. The 15 members on each of
the first advisory boards served for two years.
As a result of their work, EWE made the pricing
leaflets that it sends out with its bills easier to
understand and developed new services for its
customers like thermography checks. The second
generation of advisory board members has been
meeting since 2014. EWE found in the first phase
that the advisory boards became less willing to
be critical after a certain amount of time, so the
members serve in their positions for 18 months.
The number of board members was also in-
creased from 15 to 20. Any customer can become
an advisory board member.
CUSTOMER ADVISORY BOARDS
57
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
The health of our employees is integral to the success of our
company. As an employer, we take responsibility for our
employees by helping them to stay healthy and making their
working environment as safe as possible.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO OFFER A SAFE AND HEALTHY WORKING ENVIRON-
MENT AT ALL TIMES
We want to make sure that our employees stay healthy and
are always safe in their workplace. We have set up the healthy
employees rate1 as a central management tool so that we
can measure our progress in this area. þ The figure for 2014
was 95.3 per cent, which shows that we are already doing
extremely well in this area >> þ EWE-FK08, þ G4-LA06. We
want to improve this figure to 97 per cent by 2020.
OUR WAY FORWARD
A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO HEALTH MANAGEMENT
In 2014, we set up a central health management coordina-
tion unit at the Corporate Centre level. The German Group
companies also have coordinators who help to organise and
implement measures. EWE’s subsidiary BTC, for example, has
introduced health scouts at its German sites. They serve as a
point of contact between the sites’ employees and the cen-
tral health management team. This gives employees the op-
portunity to play an active role in helping the company to be
healthy and allows us to take a more systematic approach to
health management. Corporate Centre’s Working Group for
Health has the same objective. This working group is made
up of employees from the HR and HSE (Health, Safety &
Environment) Corporate Centre functions, EWE’s company
health insurance scheme (BKK EWE), social welfare officers,
members of the Works Council and the company’s doctors,
all working together on ways to improve the health of our
workforce.
REGULAR TRAINING SESSIONS, SEMINARS AND WORK-
SHOPS
The EWE Group provides regular training sessions devoted
to health issues such as stress prevention. These events also
involve activities like yoga or Pilates. We provide seminars
about time management and self-management to help em-
ployees and managers handle stress properly and realise their
personal limits.
We are currently planning a management curriculum which
will make managers aware of how important the health
of their employees is. We will also be providing follow-up
seminars about topics like “healthy management”. This will
help our managers to spot potential health issues which
could affect their employees and do something about them.
1 — The healthy employee rate stands in opposition to the absence rate. This means that if the absence ratio is 3 per cent, the healthy employee rate is 97 per cent. The absence rate is the ratio of days of absence resulting from incapacity to work to the target number of working days assigned to the reporting period. This also includes annual leave.
58
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
HEALTHY EATING AND DAY-TO-DAY FITNESS
EWE picked up the issue of healthy eating in 2014 as part of
the City of Oldenburg’s “Sustainable consumption - pleasure
with a healthy conscience” initiative and provided sustain-
able meals at some of its canteens for a month. All of the
meals were prepared only with seasonal, fair-trade and re-
gional products or ingredients from sustainable sources. In
future, we want to make similar meals a part of our canteen’s
regular menus.
Fitness is also part of EWE’s approach to health management.
BKK EWE launched a fresh initiative in March 2014 that en-
couraged employees to cycle to work. This is a fixed compo-
nent of the annual health programme. Around 100 people
took part and switched to taking their bike for at least 20
business days. The winner was awarded a prize. The health
programme was well received, with around 35 per cent of our
employees taking part in the various initiatives we offered in
2014.
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY INTEGRAL
TO EWE
EWE’s occupational health and safety is coordinated by the
HSE Corporate Centre function. Each of the companies has
occupational health and safety specialists who take care
of our employees’ safety. They help managers to draw up
safety requirements, such as how to operate equipment and
machinery correctly or when to wear personal protective
equipment, and work together to make sure they are com-
plied with.
> Continue on p. 62
þ REPORTABLE ACCIDENTS INCL. ACCIDENTS ON THE
WAY TO WORK (RATE PER 1,000 EMPLOYEES2)
5-YEAR AVERAGE OF THE EMPLOYER’S LIABILITY INSURANCE ASSOCIATION FOR ENERGY TEXTILES ELECTRONICS MEDIA PRODUCTS (2009–2013)4
5-YEAR EWE AVERAGE3
EWE TOTAL2014
EWE GERMANY2014
EWE ABROAD2014
þ G4-LA06 þ G4-LA06 þ G4-LA06
10.86 11.38
1.99
9.15
19.96
2 — In addition to the companies listed as part of the scope of the report (see p. 75), the accident indicators (indicator G4-LA06) include the companies BIBER GmbH, EnergieCampus GmbH and GSN Gebäudesicherheit Nord GmbH, which have around 150 employees.
3 — Not identical to the scope of the sustainability report (see p. 75). The EWE average does not include the following companies: BTC AG, BTC IT Services GmbH, EWE TEL, swb AG (including subsidiari-es) and the Turkish and Polish EWE companies.
4 — Source: 2013 annual report of the Employer’s Liability Insurance Association for Energy Textiles Electronics Media Products (BG ETEM)
59
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
On average, twice as many people have accidents on con-
struction sites than anywhere else in the industrial and trade
sectors. And it’s not hard to see how a major construction site
could be unsafe – heavy loads dangling overhead, trip hazards
Jürgen Müller is the Head Safety Engineer at EWE’s subsidiary
swb, which holds a majority 52 per cent stake in the Mittels-
büren gas and steam power plant. He believes that the site’s
excellent safety record was primarily down to swb bringing
three different approaches to occupational safety together:
“At swb, we came at the issue from the traditional German
angle of mitigating hazardous situations in advance; the con-
sortium was headed up by General Electric (GE), which came
from the Anglo-Saxon tradition of written codes of conduct;
and GE’s Spanish partner Cobra came from the Southern
European tradition of extremely cautious safety measures.”
The team approves security measures.
There were no serious accidents or accidents with long-term
consequences over the course of the three-and-a-half-year construction project, which took more than 3.2 million
man-hours.
lurking everywhere, employees from different companies
working together and a steady stream of vehicles bringing
new materials. The construction site for the steam turbine
power plant in Bremen-Mittelsbüren, on the other hand, was
not an unsafe area where accidents were waiting to happen.
There were no serious accidents or accidents with long-term
consequences over the course of the three-and-a-half-year
construction project, which took more than 3.2 million man-
hours. There were just eight workplace accidents that caused
anyone to miss any time, amounting to 50 lost days in total.
POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION IN MITTELSBÜREN:
PUTTING SAFETY FIRST
60
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
identify with our safety philosophy,” said Arantxa Casado and
Cedric Moulin, speaking from experience. Because of this, the
Health and Safety Managers for Cobra and GE were generous
with praise and handing out small rewards whenever anyone
showed particular care for their own safety and the safety of
their colleagues.
For Matthias Schaup, the Managing Director of the pow-
er plant company, the positive outcome shows that safety
training should focus on safety measures in future. According
to the accident statistics of the Employer’s Liability Insurance
Association for Energy Textiles Electronics Media Products,
30 per cent of all accidents were due to falling, slipping or
tripping. But hardly any accidents like these happened on the
construction site for the Mittelsbüren power plant.
Training, monitoring and coordination were needed to imple-
ment the shared safety philosophy – construction workers
had to make themselves familiar with it online or using termi-
nals on-site before they were allowed onto the construction
site. After passing a test about what they know, they were
issued additional instructions about site regulations, working
at height and working in potentially explosive environments.
The construction companies also met over 700 times over
the past three and a half years to coordinate their work and
rule out putting each other at risk.
Compliance with the rules was monitored on a daily basis.
Each company with more than 20 employees on the con-
struction site had to provide at least one safety officer. Safe-
ty specialists from swb, GE and Cobra were always on site.
“These checks alone can’t guarantee that employees really
Employees in the rescue-at-height team train to abseil with a rescue stretcher on the construction site.
61
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
95.3%
þ 2014 healthy employee rate
>> þ EWE-FK08, þ G4-LA06
1.46þ injuries per 200,000 work hours5 in 2014
>> þ G4-LA06
16.54þ lost days per 200,000 work hours5 in 2014
>> þ G4-LA06
> The occupational health and safety specialists work to-
gether with company doctors, safety officers and works
councils on occupational health and safety committees in
each Group company. They advise the management and exe-
cutives of the subsidiaries on occupational safety, health and
accident prevention.
þ Management performs regular risk assessments to make
sure that safety requirements and occupational health and
safety measures are kept up to date. These assessments in-
volve evaluating safety measures and amending them if
necessary >> þ TC-IO03. þ The low number of reportable
work accidents (including accidents on the way to work) show
that our occupational health and safety measures are effec-
tive. In 2014, there were 10.86 accidents per 1,000 employees2
>> þ G4-LA06. According to the Employer’s Liability Insur-
ance Association for Energy Textiles Electronics Media Prod-
ucts, the industry average was 19.96 accidents per 1,000 em-
ployees between 2009 and 2013, almost twice as high.
5 — The amount of working hours is equal to the total working time. These were calculated as either the number of hours worked or the number of planned hours less public holidays, annual leave and illness statistics.
62
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETYEMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
Long-term retention of qualified employees is a vital part of
EWE’s success. Because we are involved in so many areas –
energy, telecommunications, information technology – EWE
needs employees with a wide range of skills and expertise. The
impact of demographic changes on the labour market is making
it increasingly difficult for the company to attract specialists
and retain them in the long-term. That’s why we are committed
to providing apprenticeships in line with our requirements and
training our employees, in addition to recruiting qualified per-
sonnel for the future.
We have a long-term human resources plan in place to keep
key expertise in the company. The economic situation has also
put us in the challenging situation of having to cut 500 jobs by
2017. We will strive to do this in a socially acceptable manner
without redundancies for operational reasons.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO BE AN ATTRACTIVE EMPLOYER FOR OUR REGIONS
Despite the challenging economic conditions currently facing
us, we want to be an employer who is in demand and able to
shape the energy future with employees who perform well
and possess relevant expertise and skills. þ We use the time
taken to fill positions as an indicator of how attractive we are
as an employer. This is the number of weekdays between a
position being advertised and the employment contract be-
ing signed. In 2014, this number was 85.6 days. This calcula-
tion covers all internally and externally advertised jobs, with
the exception of apprentice, trainee and internship positions
>> þ EWE-FK09.
We want to reduce this figure to 75 weekdays by 2020. The
national benchmark is around 60 days. When we set our tar-
get, we calculated that the amount of time required to fill
positions will rise across the sector between now and 2020
because of the anticipated lack of qualified personnel. We
also took note of the fact that EWE generally advertises
vacant positions internally first. EWE then advertises them
publicly if they can’t be filled internally. This tends to in-
crease the amount of time needed to fill positions.
OUR WAY FORWARD
INCORPORATING DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS
Demographic changes will transform the age structure of
EWE’s workforce. That’s why we launched a demographics
management system in 2014, through which we have derived
important information from an analysis of the age structures
in the company. The age-related contraction of the workforce
will pick up pace significantly from 2020 onwards as people
born in baby boom years go into retirement. In 2025, more
than half of our employees will be over 50 years old.
We have drawn up HR measures to keep expertise in the com-
pany and recruit new employees with an eye to the future.
We are implementing a Group-wide strategic human resourc-
es planning system to make sure that we have the personnel
required to be successful as a business and to draw up human
resources programmes that will help us achieve this goal. We
also want to establish new ways of working together, such
as making sure that teams are made up of mixed age groups.
We want to be more attractive to specific target groups, in
particular women, apprentices and young employees for
non-academic and business divisions, and to promote the
transfer of knowledge from older to younger employees. We
63
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
want to set up our health, professional training and career
programmes so that they are tailored to the various stages of
life that every age group in the company is at.
We have been developing a brand identity as an employer
since 2014. This brand identity will help employees to iden-
tify with the company and help us to attract qualified em-
ployees.
INVESTING IN PROFESSIONAL TRAINING
AND APPRENTICESHIPS
EWE is training around 320 young people in a wide range of
professions. They include industrial engineering electricians,
IT specialists, home economists and wastewater technology
specialists. The company has another 95 young adults going
through parallel vocational training and degree programmes
in electrical engineering, business administration or industri-
al engineering and management. EWE’s EnergieCampus is a
central education facility in Oldenburg which provides work-
shops, classrooms and accommodation. It allows apprentices
from outside the Oldenburg area to stay on the campus in
company-owned accommodation. The EnergieCampus pro-
vides them with mentoring and specialist training. > p. 66
“A place to live and learn”
We also help students from a variety of disciplines with their
Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis. We provide a 24 month trainee
programme for university graduates.
“GREAT PLACE TO WORK”
Bursagaz named
best employer
“GLEICH-WICHTIG”
(EQUALLY IMPORTANT)
EWE Polska named fairest employer
in “Gleich-Wichtig” competition
“BERUFUNDFAMILIE”
(CAREER AND FAMILY)
2014 AWARDS
swb recertified
with “berufundfamilie” audit
64
2014
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
þ We provide our employees with regular training at the
Group’s professional training centre. We provide training
for current and future managers at the EWE Academy. The
management programme’s strong focus on strategy and en-
trepreneurship helps participants to develop new solutions
and feed their suggestions into their company >> þ G4-LA10.
BALANCING CAREER AND FAMILY
EWE wants to enable its employees to balance the demands
of work and family. Flexible working hours, healthcare and
retirement benefits, childcare at the Oldenburg site and
working time accounts in some companies are just some of
the measures which EWE uses to create a healthy working
environment.
SAFEGUARDING THE RIGHTS OF EMPLOYEES
We place great importance on treating all employees equally.
Works Councils have been set up in all German EWE compa-
nies to ensure that the rights of employees are safeguarded
and their concerns are given a voice. þ The right to freedom
of association and collective bargaining is guaranteed in all
of our German companies >> þ G4-HR04. þ Whenever there
are significant operational changes, EWE notifies its employ-
ees within the legally required country-specific timescales
>> þ G4-LA04.
AGE STRUCTURE OF OUR WORKFORCE (in %)
≤ 30 YEARS MALE
≤ 30 YEARS FEMALE
þ
þ G4-LA12
31–50 YEARS MALE
31–50 YEARS FEMALE
> 50 YEARS MALE
> 50 YEARS FEMALE
Total Male Female
≤ 30 years 17.6 16.0 21.4
31–50 years 59.4 58.5 61.7
> 50 years 23.0 25.5 16.9
65
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
Ricardo Breßler is learning at EWE too – namely how to play
guitar. The trainee IT systems technician lives on the compa-
ny’s EnergieCampus in Oldenburg and does his training in the
workshops that are right next door. On Thursday evenings he
plays music with a music teacher employed by EWE and other
residents who came to the Northwest to train with EWE.
Ricardo Breßler grew up 500 kilometres to the east, in Frank-
furt an der Oder. When he came across EWE’s advertisement
in the newspaper, one thing was clear to him: “That’s the
best offer around.” Now, after spending just under a year on
campus, he says, “No one else can offer what I get here –
well-rounded training in the workshops, a great room, good
food and a brilliant range of leisure activities that they have
clearly put a lot of thought into.”
95 teenagers and young adults live on the campus. All of the
rooms have a generous bathroom and high-speed internet.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in the sunny canteen
with a view of the green Hunte lowlands. Rolf Röttgers, team
Trainee IT systems technician Ricardo Breßler learns in the EWE workshops.
A PLACE TO LIVE AND LEARN
66
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
leader in charge of technical training, explains: “EWE can’t
provide training for technical vocations everywhere because
of the high requirements for our training setup. However, we
look for apprentices who come from all of our business re-
gions, because they are expected to go back there to work
when their training is complete.” That’s why EWE provides a
single location for apprentices to live and train at in Olden-
burg, he said. This approach also means that parents don’t
have to worry about how their children are going to get to
a workplace that might be a long distance away from where
they live.
Trainee IT system technicians spend a lot of their working
hours in front of a screen. “We spend a lot of our free time
there as well,” said Ricardo Breßler. The campus provides
trainees with proactive ways to switch off, like cooking cours-
es or music lessons. “Playing guitar is a way to focus on some-
thing completely different.” Trainees also use the Facebook
group to arrange times to meet up to play sports, cards or
billiards, or to watch TV together in the common rooms. Four
mentors are responsible for organising recreational activities.
They are also available around the clock for the young adults
to talk to. “We decide what we do in our free time, but EWE
doesn’t just leave us to our own devices when the working
day is over,” said Ricardo Breßler, summing up campus life.
The 18-year-old likes the campus, but is particularly appre-
ciative of the quality of his training. The company is usually
among the best-rated training institutions when Chambers
of Industry publish their reviews. The workshops are fully
equipped and the training staff is completely committed to
the next generation coming through. If you think that the
campus doesn’t give the young trainees a realistic experience
of working life, think again. “The workshop is a service pro-
vider for the companies in the EWE Group,” said Rolf Rött-
gers. “We invoice our clients meticulously.” For example, the
campus has manufactured control cabinets for the alpha ven-
tus and Riffgat wind farms.
Proactive ways to switch off – music lessons are some of the leisure activities available on the campus.
“No one else can offer
what I get here.”
Ricardo Breßler
67
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
Treating customer and company data as confidential is an inte-
gral part of our company policy and processes. In these digital
times, we use an information management system that is
aligned with the security and compliance requirements of our
company. It covers the areas of data protection, information
security and the unbundling of the Network and Sales business
areas.
OUR OBJECTIVE
TO BE A RELIABLE PARTNER FOR DATA AND
INFOR MATION SECURITY
We provide our employees with regular training about how
to be a trustworthy custodian of data in order to ensure that
we are a reliable partner for our customers. þ We have set
ourselves the target of implementing standardised e-lear-
ning modules for data protection, information security and
unbundling by 2020 >> þ EWE-FK10. These are to be made
available to all companies in which training about one or
more of these three issues is mandatory. We want to reach
over 85 per cent of all our employees with the e-learning
measure. According to recognised models for evaluating
company processes, this is the maximum proportion of our
employees that we can practically achieve. Our calculations
also incorporated the fact that achieving a rate of 100 per
cent is impossible due to employees being away because of
illness or holiday or fluctuating employee numbers.
OUR WAY FORWARD
GUARANTEEING DATA PROTECTION
The data protection officers of our individual companies are
subject to especially stringent confidentiality requirements
and are responsible for ensuring that the requirements of
German data protection legislation and other data protec-
tion regulations are complied with. We have a Group functio-
nal division policy devoted to data protection which governs
tasks, personal duties and responsibilities. Our data protec-
tion officers discuss issues on a regular basis. They evaluate
new IT projects to determine the security of customer data,
discuss the impact that new data protection legislation will
have on the Group, and identify ways in which existing struc-
tures can be optimised. þ And they have been successful –
EWE had no substantiated complaints regarding breaches of
data protection in 2014 >> þ G4-PR08.
68
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
PROTECT THE GROUP AND EMPLOYEES WITH
INFORMATION SECURITY
Group-wide information security is managed by the central
information security officer in the Corporate Centre, with
support provided by local information security officers in
each business area. They continuously review the effective-
ness of our security measures, including how effectively
they protect us against cyber attacks. In addition to imple-
menting legal requirements in the companies, the infor-
mation security officers are responsible for improving the
Group- wide information security management system in
accordance with ISO 27001 requirements. They also provide
advice about innovations related to the digitalisation of the
energy economy.
EWE also takes part in working groups, federal government
committees and industry associations so that it can take an
active role in shaping general legal requirements and industry
standards.
MAKING SURE THAT NETWORK AND SALES
ARE UNBUNDLED
The Energy Economy Law (EnWG) requires that the network
and sales divisions of utility companies must be kept separa-
te to ensure that networks are operated neutrally and that
network access is granted on a non-discriminatory basis in
Germany. The purpose of this is to unbundle network busi-
ness as a monopoly from the electricity and gas businesses
(which are in competition with each other) from a company
law, operational, information and accounting perspective.
This includes keeping customer data separate, as such infor-
mation may not be exchanged between the network unit and
the sales unit of a company. This is to avoid distorting com-
petition.
EWE has set up a comprehensive equal access programme
which provides binding specifications for measures desig-
ned to ensure that network business is conducted on a non-
discriminatory basis. Equal access officers provide the em-
ployees of our network companies with regular training and
are available for them to contact. The annual equal access
reports of our subsidiaries EWE NETZ, wesernetz Bremen,
wesernetz Bremerhaven, EWE GASSPEICHER and Gastrans-
port Nord GmbH document our progress. We apply labour
law sanctions when requirements are violated.
69
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
The data on the servers of EWE’s two data centres in Ol-
denburg lies safe behind a series of firewalls, steel doors and
access codes. EWE uses these data centres to store internal
data as well as information about its private and business
customers. Personal information is also protected by Ger-
many’s strict data protection laws – a major advantage of
He added that hacking poses a greater danger to the data
than unauthorised individuals trying to physically access the
technical systems. Because of this, servers which only need
to be available through a company intranet are not connect-
ed to the internet. Professional firewalls are used to protect
everything that can be accessed through the internet. These
firewalls are regularly tested by EWE specialists and their
manufacturers. In front of these firewalls is a system that
monitors data traffic for irregularities and deflects suspicious
attempts to make a connection.
Ingmar Schmidt, the Data Protection and Information Security Officer at EWE TEL, checks one of the servers.
Ingmar Schmidt
“In this country, legislation is based on the principle
that information belongs to the person that provides it.”
EWE’S DATA CENTRES: KEEPING INFORMATION SAFE
IN OLDENBURG
keeping the data within the country. “In this country,” says
Ingmar Schmidt, the Data Protection and Information Secu-
rity Officer at EWE’s Group subsidiary EWE TEL, “legislation
is based on the principle that information belongs to the
person that provides it.” In some other countries, informa-
tion becomes the property of whoever receives it.
EWE provides its customers with a regional partnership as
well as more security than a lot of international clouds. “For
example, EWE can draw up individual agreements with its
customers for the storage of company secrets,” said Ingmar
Schmidt. These don’t enjoy quite the same level of protec-
tion as personal information under German law.
70
OUR AREAS OF ACTION:DATA PROTECTION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
Power cuts and fires can also make data insecure or inacces-
sible. If there is a power cut, the data centres will fall back to
battery power until the generator at the centre starts pro-
viding electricity. This generator uses a diesel motor capable
of powering a sizeable cargo ship. A second back-up power
system is available to cover all eventualities. A gas system is
on hand to quickly extinguish any fire that breaks out in the
data centre. Any data that has to be available permanently
is mirrored and stored on multiple servers. “Having two data
centres means that EWE can keep copies of particularly sensi-
tive information in different places,” said Ingmar Schmidt to
emphasise the extent of EWE’s services.
The data centres are also protected against break-ins. Cam-
eras monitor every way into the data centres, and the build-
ings can only be accessed through a series of steel doors and
secure airlocks. “Our security measures comply with the
latest standards,” said Ingmar Schmidt, summing it up. This
is backed up by the fact that EWE TEL is regularly certified
Suspicious attempts to make a connection are deflected. The data in EWE’s data centre is well protected.
by the German Society for the Certification of Management
Systems and TÜV. “But that won’t be that much help to the
customer if they don’t take care online.” That’s why EWE pro-
vides customers with detailed advice on how they can pro-
tect themselves online.
71
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
ABOUT THIS REPORT
72
ABOUT THIS REPORT
OUR FIRST SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
“Creating Value for our Region” is EWE’s first sustainability
report. In conjunction with EWE AG’s 2014 annual report, the
report provides a comprehensive overview of our company’s
performance on the basis of financial and non-financial in-
formation.
The information provided in the sustainability report covers
economic, environmental and social issues. Please refer to
our annual report for detailed information about the EWE
Group’s performance and economic situation.
þ This report was prepared in accordance with the Glob-
al Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) G4 Sustainability Reporting
Guidelines, as well as the guidance specific to the energy and
telecommunications sectors. We believe that it meets the
requirements of the “Core” application level. In future, EWE
AG’s sustainability report will be published annually >> þ
G4-32; þ G4-30.
The indicators in the GRI Index (p. 82) have been audited by
Ernst & Young GmbH. þ Their findings are provided in the
independent assurance report on page 92 >> þ G4-33.
CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE
Detailed information about the principles of our sustaina-
bility management system is provided in “Sustainability –
part of our Group strategy”, along with the targets (p. 21) by
which we measure our sustainability efforts.
When preparing this report, we collated the sustainabili-
ty issues that were potentially significant for EWE in line
with the GRI’s reporting principles and used a multi-stage
survey-based materiality analysis to identify the issues that
are relevant for our companies and our stakeholders. The re-
port focuses on our ten areas of action: Security of supply
and network stability, innovation and product responsibili-
ty, climate protection and generation, environmental man-
agement and resource efficiency, regional responsibility,
supply chain, market and transparency, health and occupa-
tional safety, employees and education, and data protection
and information security. The structure of the report, which
is broken down by sustainability action areas, reflects the
main economic, environmental and social issues for the EWE
Group. þ Issues that we identified as being relevant for the
success of our business with the help of our stakeholders
were allocated to each area of action >> þ G4-18.
SCOPE OF THE REPORT
þ The report covers the 2014 financial year (1 January to 31
December) >> þ G4-28. The performance indicators in the
report relate to this period. Any relevant, qualitative infor-
mation that went beyond 2014 and was available by the pub-
lication date has been included in the report.
þ The information and key figures come from the EWE Group
companies listed in the Appendix (measured by strategic rel-
evance and coverage of at least 95 per cent of total gener-
ated sales). Any deviations from the scope of the report are
indicated at the relevant location. This scope does not apply
to the “Company Profile” section (p. 10) >> þ G4-17.
73
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
FACTS AND FIGURES
74
FACTS AND FIGURES
The Appendix covers indicators which are not mentioned in the
areas of action sections.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
þ G4-17 — Scope of accounting1
The sustainability report focuses on the main organisations,
measured by strategic relevance and coverage of at least 95
per cent of the sales of the EWE Group.
BTC Business Technology Consulting AG, BTC IT Services
GmbH, Bursagaz Bursa Şehiriçi Doğalgaz Dağıtım Ticaret ve
Taahhüt A.Ş., EWE AG, EWE VERTRIEB GmbH, EWE Energia
sp. z o.o., EWE ERNEUERBARE ENERGIEN GmbH, EWE
GASSPEICHER GmbH, EWE NETZ GmbH, EWE Offshore
Service & Solutions GmbH, EWE Polska Sp. z o.o., EWE swb
ISIS GmbH, EWE TEL GmbH, EWE TRADING GmbH, EWE
WASSER GmbH, Gastransport Nord GmbH, Kayserigaz
Kayseri Doğalgaz Dağıtım Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.Ş., swb
Abrechnungsservice GmbH, swb AG, swb Bremerhaven
GmbH, swb CREA GmbH, swb Entsorgung GmbH & Co. KG,
swb Erzeugung AG & Co. KG, swb Erzeugung und Entsorgung
AG & Co. KG, swb Services AG & Co. KG, swb Vertrieb
Bremen GmbH, swb Vertrieb Bremerhaven GmbH & Co. KG,
wesernetz Bremen GmbH, wesernetz Bremerhaven GmbH
SECURITY OF SUPPLY AND NETWORK STABILITY
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-EU30 — Average availability of power plants (in %)
Total generation 87.71
Hard coal 83.63
Blast furnace gas/converter gas 95.71
Natural gas2 0
Light oil 97.53
Total disposal 90.20
2 — The gas-powered block 14 of the Bremen-Hastedt CHP plant is currently mothballed.
þ G4-EU12 — Electricity network losses
Our losses in the German medium and low-voltage network are 2.1 per cent
1 — Please see page 167 of the 2014 annual report for a comprehensive list of all the companies that were consolidated in the financial statements.
APPENDIX OF INDICATORS
75
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
CLIMATE PROTECTION AND GENERATION
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-EU01 — Installed electrical capacity (in MW thermal)
Installed thermal capacity3 746
Hard coal 178
Natural gas 445
Waste to energy 123
3 — Indicator is recorded at all major combustion and gas turbine facilities (in accordance with 13th German Immission Control Directive) and all facilities involved in burning waste (in accordance with 17th German Immission Control Directive).
þ G4-EU02 — Net energy output (in GWh)
Heat generation by primary fuel resource4 1,307
Hard coal 505
Natural gas 365
Waste to energy 262
Bio natural gas 139
Other (biogas, biogenic replacement fuels, fuel oil, sewage gas)
36
4 — Contrary to indicator G4-EU01, this also includes heat generation from combined heat and power plants.
þ G4-EU05 — Number of CO2 emissions allowances
Total CO2 certificates 2,186,372
Allocated CO2 certificates 139,319
Auctioned CO2 certificates 2,047,053
Proportion of granted CO2 certificates (in %) 6.4
þ G4-EU10 — Planned generation capacity
Renewables (MW electric) 366
Onshore wind 215
Offshore wind 137
Other (biogas, photovoltaics, hydroelectric) 14
Conventional (MW electric) 1,220
Hard coal 553
Blast furnace gas/converter gas 200
Natural gas 306
Light oil 86
Waste to energy 75
Conventional (MW thermal)3 746
Hard coal 178
Natural gas 445
Waste to energy 123
þ G4-EU11 — Generation efficiency of
thermal plants3 (in %)
Average generation efficiency of thermal plants
Hard coal 44
Blast furnace gas 38
Waste 29
Light oil 11
Electrical efficiency of thermal power plants
Hard coal 37
Blast furnace gas 38
Light oil 11
þ G4-EN20 — Emissions of ozone-depleting substances
(ODS)
EWE did not use any ozone-depleting substances.
þ G4-EN21 — Nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides and other
air emissions4
Emissions from generation facilities (in kg/year)
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 1,553,353
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 1,443,324
Dust 135,663
Fine dust – PM10 (93%) 122,097
Fine dust – PM2.5 (60%) 81,398
76
FACTS AND FIGURES
Emissions from waste disposal facilities (in kg/year)
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 909,556
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 55,147
Dust 5,302
Fine dust – PM10 (93%) 4,771
Fine dust – PM2.5 (60%) 3,181
Hydrogen chloride (HCl) 41,347
Carbon monoxide (CO) 101,653
Total carbon (Ctotal) 2,931
Emissions from generation facilities (in kg/MWh)
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 0.416
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 0.386
Dust 0.036
Fine dust – PM10 (93%) 0.033
Fine dust – PM2.5 (60%) 0.022
Emissions from waste disposal facilities (in kg/MWh)
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) 1.211
Sulphur dioxide (SO2) 0.073
Dust 0.007
Fine dust – PM10 (93%) 0.006
Fine dust – PM2.5 (60%) 0.004
Hydrogen chloride (HCl) 0.055
Carbon monoxide (CO) 0.135
Total carbon (Ctotal) 0.004
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND RESOURCE
EFFICIENCY AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-EN01 — Materials used by weight or volume (fuels)
Non-renewables
Blast furnace gas 2,916,424,300 Nm³
Converter gas 28,431,600 Nm³
Hard coal 914,895 Mg
Natural gas 63,241,188 Nm³
RF, non-bio 0 Mg
Chalk 29,759 Mg
Heavy fuel oil 1,523 Mg
Fuel oil 1,765 Mg
Waste 442,190 Mg
Renewables
Biomass 3,168 Mg
Waste 442,190 Mg
Raw biogas 13,973,924 Nm³
Biomethane 34,396,527 Nm³
Vegetable oil 0 Mg
Sewage gas 137,603 Nm³
Wood 204 Mg
þ G4-EN22 — Wastewater by quality
and destination (in m3)
Brine 1,456,541
Wastewater at treatment sites5 16,219,236
Process water 205,640
Cooling water 647,522,864
5 — This is purified wastewater that is fed directly into watercourses.
REGIONAL RESPONSIBILITY
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-EU22 — Number of people displaced and
compensation
Nobody was displaced and no compensation was paid during the reporting period.
77
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
MARKET AND TRANSPARENCY
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-EN29 — Fines and penalties for non-compliance
with environmental laws and regulations
There were no fines and penalties incurred for non-compliance with environ-mental laws and regulations in the reporting period.
þ G4-PR09 — Fines for non-compliance with laws and
regulations concerning the provision and
use of products and services
There were no fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services in the reporting period.
þ G4-SO04 — Communication and training on
anti-corruption policies and procedures
Total number of governing body members having received information
5
Percentage of governing body members having received information
100
Total number of employees having received information
~2,100 (taking double clicks into account)
Percentage of employees having received information
~24
Total number of business partners having received information
The supplier code of conduct will be introduced in 2015
Percentage of business partners having received information
The supplier code of conduct will be introduced in 2015
Total number of governing body members having received training
5
Percentage of governing body members having received training
100
Total number of employees having received training
New employees having received training 84
Enquiries to the compliance officer 144
Enquiries to compliance representatives 59
Percentage of employees having received training
New employees having received training 30
Enquiries to the compliance officer 2
Enquiries to compliance representatives 1
þ G4-SO06 — Total value of political contributions
An internal Group directive forbids EWE from making political donations.
þ G4-PR05 — Results of surveys measuring customer
satisfaction (index)
Brand level 67.2 (energy); 75.8 (TC)
Main business region 68.8 (energy); 76.0 (TC)
HEALTH AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-LA06 — Lost days due to illness, number of injuries,
number of work-related fatalities6
Work-related fatalities (number of deaths) 0
Germany 0
Overseas 0
Injury rate (number of injuries per 200,000 work hours)7
1.46
Germany 1.55
Overseas 0.21
Lost day rate (number of lost days per 200,000 work hours)7
16.54
Germany 17.73
Overseas 0.85
6 — Excluding subcontractors and supervised workers (external temporary staffing); information about work accidents without breakdown by gender. In addition to the companies listed as part of the scope of the report, the accident indicators (indicator G4-LA06) include the companies BIBER GmbH, EnergieCampus GmbH and GSN Gebäudesicherheit Nord GmbH, which have around 150 employees.
7 — The amount of working hours is equal to the total working time. These were calculated as either the number of hours worked or the number of planned hours less public holidays, annual leave and illness statistics.
78
FACTS AND FIGURES
EMPLOYEES AND EDUCATION
AREA OF ACTION
þ G4-10 — Workforce structure
Total number of employees by employment contract and gender8
9,099
Permanent 7,683
of which female 2,105
of which male 5,578
Temporary 440
of which female 163
of which male 277
Active phased early retirement 17
of which female 1
of which male 16
Special employee groups (trainees, assistants, apprentices) 605
of which female 170
of which male 435
Inactive (passive phased early retirement, early retirement, parental leave, military service, civil service)
354
of which female 166
of which male 188
Total number of employees by employment type and gender8
9,099
Full-time 7,217
of which female 1,496
of which male 5,721
Part-time 923
of which female 773
of which male 150
Special employee groups (trainees, assistants, apprentices) 605
of which female 170
of which male 435
Inactive (passive phased early retirement, early retirement, parental leave, military service, civil service)
354
of which female 166
of which male 188
Total number of employees by direct employment/super-vised workers and by gender
9,250
Employees (incl. Board of Management/Boards of Directors and special employee groups)
9,099
of which female 2,605
of which male 6,494
Supervised workers9 151
of which female 61
of which male 90
Total number of employees by region and gender8 9,099
Germany 8,596
of which female 2,440
of which male 6,156
Overseas 503
of which female 165
of which male 338
8 — Differences in the number of employees compared to the infor-mation in the annual report are due to differences in the scope of accounting (cf. G4-17, p. 75) and the reporting date analysis performed on 31.12.2014 which serves as the foundation for the sustainability report.
9 — Personnel hired via third parties (e.g. temporary employment agencies) to render services for a German EWE company according to the German Temporary Employment Act (AÜG).
þ G4-11 — Employees covered by collective bargaining
agreements
A total of 8,402 employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements in the reporting period.
79
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
þ G4-LA01 — Total number and rates of new employee
hires and employee turnover by age group,
gender and region
Number %
Total number of new employee hires by age group and gender
839
9.2
≤ 30 years 506 5.6
of which female 183 2.0
of which male 323 3.6
31–50 years 277 3.0
of which female 65 0.7
of which male 212 2.3
> 50 years 56 0.6
of which female 14 0.2
of which male 42 0.4
Total number of new employee hires by region and gender
839
9.2
Germany 787 8.6
of which female 249 2.7
of which male 538 5.9
Overseas 52 0.6
of which female 13 0.2
of which male 39 0.4
Total employee turnover by age group and gender
823
9.0
≤ 30 years 382 4.2
of which female 135 1.5
of which male 247 2.7
31–50 years 290 3.2
of which female 88 1.0
of which male 202 2.2
> 50 years 151 1.7
of which female 27 0.3
of which male 124 1.4
Total employee turnover by region and gender
823
9.0
Germany 780 8.5
of which female 235 2.6
of which male 545 5.9
Overseas 43 0.5
of which female 15 0.2
of which male 28 0.3
Years
Average length of employment of employees who have left by age group
17.7
≤ 30 years 2.5
of which female 1.4
of which male 2.4
31–50 years 12.7
of which female 7.7
of which male 13.0
> 50 years 27.3
of which female 14.3
of which male 28.2
þ G4-EU15 — Percentage of employees eligible to retire
in the next 5 to 10 years (in %)
Percentage of employees who can retire in the next 5 to 10 years by job category
10.2
Management employees 0.5
Employees above the general pay scale 0.7
Employees on pay scale 7.5
Non-pay-scale employees 1.5
Percentage of employees who can retire in the next 5 to 10 years by country
10.2
Germany 9.6
Overseas 0.6
80
FACTS AND FIGURES
þ G4-LA03 — Return to work and retention rates after
parental leave
Employees entitled to parental leave 9,099
of which female 2,605
of which male 6,494
Total number of employees that took parental leave 357
of which female 182
of which male 175
Total number of employees who returned to work after parental leave ended
236
of which female 63
of which male 173
þ G4-LA12 — Composition of governance bodies and
breakdown of employees per employee
category according to gender and age group
(in %)
Breakdown of employees by job category, gender and age group
Management employees 2.2
of which male 2.0
≤ 30 years 0.0
31–50 years 1.3
> 50 years 0.7
of which female 0.2
≤ 30 years 0.0
31–50 years 0.2
> 50 years 0.0
Employees above the general pay scale 7.4
of which male 6.1
≤ 30 years 0.1
31–50 years 4.2
> 50 years 1.7
of which female 1.3
≤ 30 years 0.0
31–50 years 1.1
> 50 years 0.2
Employees on pay scale 62.2
of which male 44.3
≤ 30 years 8.6
31–50 years 22.6
> 50 years 13.1
of which female 17.9
≤ 30 years 4.1
31–50 years 10.1
> 50 years 3.7
Non-pay-scale employees 28.2
of which male 18.9
≤ 30 years 2.7
31–50 years 13.6
> 50 years 2.6
of which female 9.3
≤ 30 years 2.0
31–50 years 6.4
> 50 years 0.9
Breakdown of Supervisory Board members by age group and gender
of which ≤ 30 years old 0.0
female 0.0
male 0.0
of which 31–50 years old 10.0
female 0.0
male 10.0
of which > 50 years old 90.0
female 5.0
male 85.0
þ G4-HR03 — Total number of incidents of discrimina-
tion and corrective actions taken
Number of incidents of discrimination and actions taken10
7
10 — Mutually agreeable solutions were found for all incidents listed here. The action taken in each individual situation is not reported for data protection purposes.
81
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
GRI INDEX
GENERAL STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Externally audited1
G4-01 Foreword by the Group Board of Management 9 -
G4-03 Name of the organisation 12 -
G4-04 Primary brands, products, services 14 -
G4-05 Location of organisation's headquarters 12 -
G4-06 Number and names of countries where the organisation operates 11 -
G4-07 Nature of ownership and legal form 12 -
G4-08 Markets served 11 -
G4-09 Scale of the organisation 13 þ p. 92–93
G4-10 Workforce structure 79 þ p. 92–93
G4-11 Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements 79 þ p. 92–93
G4-12 Description of supply chain 51 -
G4-13 Significant changes during the reporting period regarding ownershipAs this is the first report, no statement can be made with regard to this in this year. -
G4-14 Precautionary approach 14 -
G4-15 Support for external initiatives 22 -
G4-16 Memberships in associations and advocacy organisations 22 -
G4-EU01 Installed electrical capacity 35, 76 þ p. 92–93
G4-EU02 Net energy output 35, 76 þ p. 92–93
G4-EU03 Number of electricity connections and electricity customers2 11, 25 þ p. 92–93
G4-EU04 Electricity network length3 25 þ p. 92–93
G4-EU05 Number of CO2 emissions allowances 76 þ p. 92–93
G4-17 Scope of accounting 73, 75 þ p. 92–93
G4-18 Process for defining report content 20, 73 þ p. 92–93
1 — The information marked with “þ” was audited by Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft in the 2014 financial year. Please refer to the independent assurance report on page 92–93.
2 — Also includes domestic gas connections and number of gas and telecommunications customers. The Energy Economy Law (EnWG) governs the separation of network and sales for electricity and gas.
3 — Also includes network lengths for gas and telecommunications.
82
FACTS AND FIGURES
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
CATEGORY: ECONOMIC
Aspect: Economic Performance (Aspect Boundary within EWE)4
DMA 11–14, 44–49 -
G4-EC01Direct economic value generated and distributed 47 - - þ p. 92–93
EWE-ZA01Research and development costs5 30 - - þ p. 92–93
GENERAL STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Externally audited1
G4-19 Main material Aspects of the report
The most important issues for the EWE Group were identified using a materiality analysis and are listed in the GRI Index. þ p. 92–93
G4-20 Aspect Boundary within the organisation
Aspects which have a material economic, ecological or so-cial impact within the organisation and are listed in the GRI Index are generally considered relevant for the companies defined in G4-17 (scope of accounting). Differences bet-ween individual companies are highlighted in the report. þ p. 92–93
G4-21 Aspect Boundary outside the organisation
Relevant aspects within the organisation which EWE also addresses and manages in partnership with external stake-holders are highlighted in the GRI Index. þ p. 92–93
G4-22 Restatements of information provided in previous reportsAs this is the first report, no statement can be made with regard to this in this year. -
G4-23 Changes to Aspect Boundaries compared to previous reportsAs this is the first report, no statement can be made with regard to this in this year. -
G4-24 Stakeholders engaged 18, 20 þ p. 92–93
G4-25 Selection of stakeholders 18 þ p. 92–93
G4-26 Engagement of stakeholders 20, 22 þ p. 92–93
G4-27 Concerns raised by stakeholders 18, 20 þ p. 92–93
G4-28 Reporting period 73 þ p. 92–93
G4-29 Date of most recent previous reportAs this is the first report, no statement can be made with regard to this in this year. -
G4-30 Reporting cycle 73 þ p. 92–93
G4-31 Contact 94 þ p. 92–93
G4-32 Meets the requirements of the „In accordance“-Core option 73 þ p. 92–93
G4-33 External assurance 73 þ p. 92–93
G4-34 Governance structure including responsibility for sustainability 12, 20, 21 -
G4-56 Values, principles and codes of conduct 18 -
4 — The Aspect Boundaries are hereinafter allocated to all aspects contained in the GRI Index.5 — This is additional information provided voluntarily by EWE.
83
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
Aspect: Indirect Economic Impacts (Aspect Boundary within EWE)6
DMA 44–49 -
G4-EC08Type and extent of significant indirect economic impacts 45 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Procurement Practices (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 50–53 -
G4-EC09Proportion of spending on local suppliers 51
GRI term “local” replaced with “regional” Standard EWE Group wording þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Availability and Reliability (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 34–39 -
G4-EU106 Planned generation capacity 76Without comparing planned output with forecast demand Not a focus for German market þ p. 92–93
Aspect: System Efficiency (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 24–28; 34–39 -
G4-EU11Generation efficiency of thermal plants 76 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-EU12 Electricity network losses 75 - - þ p. 92–93
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTAL
Aspect: Materials (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 40–43 -
G4-EN01Materials used by weight or volume (fuels) 77 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Energy (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 40–43 -
G4-EN03Energy consumption within the organisation 41
Limited to fleet and building management
A Group-wide report is being prepared. þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Biodiversity (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 34–39 -
1 — The information marked with “þ” was audited by Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft in the 2014 financial year. Please refer to the independent assurance report on page 92–93.
6 — Indicators with the abbreviation EU (in accordance with GRI G4) are relevant for the electricity sector.
84
FACTS AND FIGURES
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
G4-EN11 Sites in protected areas 36, 37
Limited to some sites in north-west Germany and companies with potential material impact on the environment
A Group-wide report has not been prepared because our activi-ties have had very little impact on biodiversity. þ p. 92–93
G4-EN12Impacts of business activities on biodiversity 36, 37
Limited to some sites in north-west Germany and companies with potential material impact on the environment
A Group-wide report has not been prepared because our activi-ties have had very little impact on biodiversity. þ p. 92–93
G4-EU13
Biodiversity of protected areas compared to bio-diversity of affected areas 36, 37
Limited to some sites in north-west Germany and companies with potential material impact on the environment
A Group-wide report has not been prepared because our activi-ties have had very little impact on biodiversity. þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Emissions (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 34–39 -
G4-EN15 Direct CO2 emissions 37Limited to electricity and heat generation facilities
Other facilities and emissions are of minor importance. þ p. 92–93
G4-EN18
CO2 emissions in grams per generated kilowatt hour of electricity (CO2 emissions intensity) 34
Limited to electricity and heat generation facilities
Other facilities and emissions are of minor importance or the report is currently in preparation (scope 2) or the data is not cur-rently collected (scope 3). þ p. 92–93
G4-EN19 Reduction of CO2 emissions 37Limited to electricity and heat generation facilities
Other facilities and emissions are of minor importance or the report is currently in preparation (scope 2) or the data is not cur-rently collected (scope 3). þ p. 92–93
G4-EN20Emissions of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) 76 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-EN21Nitrogen oxides, sulphur ox-ides and other air emissions 76 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Effluents and Waste (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 40–43 -
G4-EN22Wastewater by quality and destination 77 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Compliance (environmental) (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-EN29
Fines and penalties for non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations 78 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Supplier Environmental Assessment (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 50–53 -
85
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
G4-EN32Screening of new suppliers using environmental criteria 50
No information available for suppliers in 2014
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Environmental Grievance Mechanisms (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-EN34Number of grievances about environmental impacts 55 - - þ p. 92–93
CATEGORY: LABOUR PRACTICES AND DECENT WORK
Aspect: Employment (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 63–67 -
G4-LA01
Total number and rates of new employee hires and employee turnover by age group, gender and region 80 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-EU15
Percentage of employees eligible to retire in the next 5 to 10 years 80 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-LA03Return to work and retention rates after parental leave 81
Not including those who return from parental leave and were still employed 12 months after returning; also excludes return rate and parental leave retention rate
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Labour/Management Relations (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 63–67 -
G4-LA04
Minimum notice periods regarding significant opera-tional changes 65 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Occupational Health and Safety (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 58–62 -
G4-LA06
Lost days due to illness, number of injuries, number of work-related fatalities 58, 59, 62, 78
Excluding occupational illnesses; excluding subcontractors and supervised workers; information about work accidents without breakdown by gender
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. No breakdown by gender in the interest of preventing identification of individuals. þ p. 92–93
TC-IO037
Practices to ensure health and safety of telecommuni-cations field personnel8 62 - - þ p. 92–93
1 — The information marked with “þ” was audited by Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft in the 2014 financial year. Please refer to the independent assurance report on page 92–93.
7 — Indicators with the abbreviation TC (in accordance with GRI3) are relevant for the telecommunications sector. 8 — Voluntarily includes all technical facilities, i.e. also includes energy networks and is not restricted to telecommunications.
86
FACTS AND FIGURES
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
Aspect: Training and Education (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 63–67 -
G4-LA10
Programmes for skills management and lifelong learning 65 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Diversity and Equal Opportunity (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 63–67 -
G4-LA12
Composition of governance bodies and breakdown of employees per employee category according to gender and age group 65, 81 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Supplier Assessment for Labour Practices (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 50–53 -
G4-LA14Screening of new suppliers using social criteria 50
No information available for suppliers in 2014
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. þ p. 92–93
CATEGORY: HUMAN RIGHTS
Aspect: Non-discrimination (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 63–67 -
G4-HR03
Total number of incidents of discrimination and corrective actions taken 81 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 50–53; 63–67 -
G4-HR04
Operations and suppliers identified in which the right of employees to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining may be violated or at significant risk 50, 65
No information available for suppliers in 2014
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Supplier Human Rights Assessment (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 50–53 -
G4-HR10Screening of new suppliers using human rights criteria 50
No information available for suppliers in 2014
The management and reporting process is currently in develop-ment. þ p. 92–93
87
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
CATEGORY: SOCIETY
Aspect: Local Communities (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 44–49 -
G4-SO01
Percentage of operations with implemented local community engagement programmes 46 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-EU22Number of people displaced and compensation 77 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Anti-corruption (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-SO04
Communication and training on anti-corruption policies and procedures 78 Not broken down by region Not relevant þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Public Policy (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 15–22 -
G4-SO06Total value of political con-tributions 78 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Compliance (social) (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-SO08
Fines and penalties for non-compliance with laws and regulations 55 - - þ p. 92–93
CATEGORY: PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY
Aspect: Product and Service Labelling (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-PR05Results of surveys measuring customer satisfaction 78 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Customer Privacy (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 68–71 -
G4-PR08
Total number of substanti-ated complaints regarding breaches of data protection 68
Complaints must have a serious impact on the rights and pro-tectable interests of the affected party
Based on German data protection legislation þ p. 92–93
1 — The information marked with “þ” was audited by Ernst & Young GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft in the 2014 financial year. Please refer to the independent assurance report on page 92–93.
88
FACTS AND FIGURES
PROGRESS CRITERIA FOR AREAS OF ACTION9
Indicator
Short name of the indicator
Page
2014 status, externally audited1
EWE-FK01 (= G4-EU29) Power outage durations in minutes, per year, per customer in Germany 21, 24 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK02 Number of ideas submitted via the innovation portal that culminated in a project 21, 29 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK03 (=G4-EN18) CO2 emissions in grams per generated kilowatt hour of electricity 21, 34 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK04 Number of companies with ISO 50001-certified energy management systems 21, 40 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK05 Regionality index 21, 44 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK06Proportion of strategic materials and services suppliers who commit to the supplier code of conduct 21, 50 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK07 Customer loyalty index 21, 54 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK08 (=G4-LA06) Healthy employees rate 21, 58 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK09 Time taken to fill positions 21, 63 þ p. 92–93
EWE-FK10Proportion of all employees in all relevant companies who have been trained in data protection, information security and unbundling using e-learning modules 21, 68 þ p. 92–93
9 — Indicators with the abbreviation EWE-FK are the progress criteria for areas of action. Not all of these are GRI indicators. The progress criteria are also provided here to provide a complete picture.
SPECIFIC STANDARD DISCLOSURES
Indicator Short name of the indicator Page Omissions Reason for omissions Externally audited1
Aspect: Compliance (Product Responsibility) (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 54–57 -
G4-PR09
Fines for non-compliance with laws and regulations concerning the provision and use of products and services 78 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Access (Electric Utility Sector) (Aspect Boundary within EWE)
DMA 24–28 -
G4-EU29
Power outage duration in minutes per year, per customer in Germany 24 - - þ p. 92–93
G4-EU30Average availability of power plants 75 - - þ p. 92–93
Aspect: Access (Telecommunications Sector) (Aspect Boundary within and outside EWE)
DMA 24–28 -
TC-IO01Investment in telecommuni-cations networks 28 - - þ p. 92–93
TC-PA01
Expansion and access to tele-communications networks in in remote and low population density areas areas 28 - - þ p. 92–93
89
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
GLOSSARY
BALANCING GROUP MANAGEMENT
A balancing group is a virtual energy account for electricity and
gas. This account is used to balance consumption and feed-ins,
for example from power plants or trading transactions, with
other balancing groups. Most virtual accounts are managed
centrally by a transmission network operator and administered
by so-called balancing group managers like an energy supplier.
BIOGAS
Biogas is a mixture composed mainly of methane and carbon
dioxide. The valuable part which is used for generating energy
is the methane component, which is obtained from biomass.
BIOMASS
In the context of renewable energy, biomass is the total mass
of plant or animal-based organic material which is capable of
storing energy and can be utilised to generate electricity or
heat.
BLAST FURNACE GAS
Blast furnace gas is a natural by-product of the production of
pig iron. It contains just enough carbon monoxide (around 30
per cent) to use it directly as a fuel in the production facility. It
is not worth transporting or storing because of its low energy
content.
CO2 EMISSIONS
Carbon dioxide is created by burning fuels that contain carbon.
Power plants, factories, building and vehicles emit enormous
amounts of man-made greenhouse gases. These are changing
the natural CO2 balance in the atmosphere and intensifying the
greenhouse effect, resulting in an elevation of the temperature
on the earth’s surface and in the lower atmosphere.
CO2 EMISSIONS TRADING AND CO2 CERTIFICATES
CO2 emissions trading is a market instrument and involves
trading rights to emit greenhouse gases in the form of CO2
certificates. Within the EU, operators of facilities that are
subject to emissions trading requirements must have rights
for their (carbon dioxide) emissions. Governments limit the
amount of rights that are allocated. If they produce more
emissions than they hold the rights for, they have to purchase
additional emission rights or reduce their emissions. They can
sell any excess emissions rights to other companies.
COMBINED HEAT AND POWER (CHP)/CHP PLANTS
A CHP plant uses both the generated electrical energy and
the resulting (waste) heat. This increases the efficiency of
these plants considerably.
COMBINED HEAT AND POWER PLANT
Combined heat and power plants are special heating plants
which produce electricity and heat at the same time. This
means that the fuel is used particularly efficiently.
CONVERTER GAS
Converter gas is generated during the production of steel. Ex-
cess carbon is removed from pig iron in the converter.
DIRECT MARKETING OF RENEWABLE ENERGIES
Operators of renewable energy facilities can sell the electric-
ity they generate directly to a buyer via a public network in-
stead of a regional network operator. Power that is marketed
directly is subsidised with a so-called optional market premi-
um and an additional management premium. This is aimed at
offering facility operators an incentive to take a market-driv-
en approach to operating their facilities.
90
FACTS AND FIGURES
ENERGY CONTROLLING IN PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING
Energy controlling in performance contracting is an innova-
tive approach to partnerships with local authorities which
EWE has trialled. It involves EWE performing services for
municipal authorities like preparing energy reports, energy
analyses, evaluating measures that have been implemented
or regular energy monitoring. The compensation that EWE
receives for these services is made up of a basic component
and a proportional amount which comes from the saved en-
ergy costs.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
Energy management is the measurement, planning and con-
trol of energy generation and usage with the goal of increas-
ing energy efficiency and thereby reducing consumption.
Energy management within a company involves the energy
needs of a company first being documented and analysed in
detail before appropriate energy-saving measures are iden-
tified. These can include optimising the operation of equip-
ment, the use of more efficient machinery, or the generation
of electricity on a precise, as-needed basis.
PRIMARY ENERGY
Primary energy is energy that occurs in a natural form or
comes from natural sources, like crude oil, natural gas, coal
or biomass.
RENEWABLE ENERGY ACT (EEG) REVISION
The most recent revision of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG)
came into effect on 1 August 2014. The purpose of the amend-
ment is to bring renewable energies closer to the market and
make it possible to expand their use in a controlled fashion.
For instance, under the amended Act, operators of new facil-
ities must market the electricity that they generate on the
energy exchange. The revision also added target ranges for
the national expansion of renewable energies.
REPLACEMENT FUELS
Replacement fuels are fuels derived from waste. They are be-
ginning to replace primary fuels like coal for combustion in
power plants.
WASTE TO ENERGY
Waste to energy is the process of generating electricity and
heat by burning waste.
BTC > BTC Business Technology Consulting AG
DSL > Digital Subscriber Line
EBIT > Earnings before interest and taxes
EEG > Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz
(Renewable Energy Act)
el > Electric
GW > Gigawatt
GWh > Gigawatt hour
kW > Kilowatt
kWh > Kilowatt hour
Mg > Megagram
MW > Megawatt
MWh > Megawatt hour
Nm3 > Standard cubic metre
RF > Replacement fuels
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
91
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
INDEPENDENT ASSURANCE REPORT
The assurance engagement performed by Ernst & Young (EY)
relates exclusively to the German printed version of the EWE
AG Sustainability Report 2014. The following text is a transla-
tion of the original German Independent Assurance Report.
TO THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT OF EWE AG,
OLDENBURG
OUR ENGAGEMENT
We have been engaged to perform a limited assurance en-
gagement on information marked with the symbol þ in EWE
AG’s 2014 sustainability report (referred to in the following
as the report) for the reporting period from 1 January to 31
December 2014. The information included in our limited as-
surance engagement is marked with the symbol þ in the GRI
Index on pages 82 to 89 and covers the following areas:
+ General standard disclosures, including sector-specific
indicators, as long as they relate to performance indica-
tors;
+ General standard disclosures on identified material as-
pects and boundaries, stakeholder engagement and the
report profile;
+ Progress criteria for the EWE-specific areas of action
(current status in 2014);
+ Specific standard disclosures, including sector-specific in-
formation.
LIMITATIONS OF OUR ENGAGEMENT
Our engagement is limited to the information marked with
a þ symbol in the German-language printed version of the
sustainability report. Our engagement did not include any
forward-looking statements, information for previous years,
references to other sections of the report and other sources,
or study reports conducted by third parties.
CRITERIA
We assessed the report against the criteria set out in the
Sustainability Reporting Guidelines G4 issued by the Global
Reporting Initiative (GRI). We believe that these criteria are
suitable for our assurance engagement.
MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY
The Board of Management of EWE AG, Oldenburg is responsi-
ble for the preparation and the content of the report in com-
pliance with the above-mentioned criteria. This responsibili-
ty includes the design, implementation and maintenance of
internal controls for the preparation of a report that is free
from material misstatements, in accordance with the above
mentioned criteria and based on suitable methods for gath-
ering source data, including judgements and estimates of the
individual sustainability data.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Our responsibility is to issue an assurance report on informa-
tion marked with the symbol þ in EWE AG’s 2014 sustaina-
bility report for the reporting period from 1 January 2014 to
31 December 2014 based on our work performed for a limited
assurance engagement.
We conducted our limited assurance engagement in accord-
ance with the International Standard on Assurance Engage-
ments (ISAE) 3000. This standard requires that we comply
with our professional duties and plan and perform the as-
surance engagement to obtain a limited level of assurance
to preclude that the information marked with the symbol þ
92
FACTS AND FIGURES
in EWE AG’s 2014 sustainability report is not in accordance,
in material respects, with the above mentioned criteria. In a
limited assurance engagement the evidence gathering pro-
cedures are more limited than in a reasonable assurance en-
gagement and therefore less assurance is obtained than in a
reasonable assurance engagement.
We are independent from the company in compliance with
professional requirements and the IESBA Code of Ethics for
Professional Accountants (IESBA Code), which is founded on
the fundamental principles of integrity, objectivity, profes-
sional competence and due care, confidentiality and profes-
sional behaviour, and we have also complied with our other
professional requirements and the IESBA Code.
KEY PROCEDURES
The performance of our engagement mainly involved the fol-
lowing work:
+ Inquiries of employees concerning the sustainability
strategy, sustainability principles and sustainability
management of EWE AG, including dialogue with stake-
holders and materiality analysis
+ Inquiries of employees responsible for the preparation of
information marked with a þ symbol in the sustainability
report in order to assess the sustainability reporting sys-
tem, the data capture and compilation methods as well
as internal controls to the extent relevant for a review of
the information marked with the þ symbol
+ Inspection of the relevant documentation of the systems
and processes for compiling, analysing and aggregating
sustainability data in the reporting period and testing
such documentation on a sample basis
+ Inquiries and inspection of documents on a sample basis
relating to the collection and reporting of sustainability
data and disclosures during our visit at the head quarter
office of EWE AG Oldenburg and during site visits at swb
Erzeugung AG & Co. KG in Bremen and EWE NETZ GmbH
in Oldenburg
+ Analytical measures regarding the quality of the reported
data
+ Review of incorporation of study reports conducted by
third parties, to the extent that those are relevant for the
information marked with a þ symbol
+ Critical review of the draft report to assess plausibility
and consistency with the information marked with a þ
symbol.
OUR CONCLUSION
Based on our procedures performed to obtain a limited level
of assurance, nothing has come to our attention that causes
us to believe that the information marked with a þ symbol in
EWE AG’s 2014 sustainability report for the reporting period
from 1 January to 31 December 2014 has not been prepared,
in all material respects, in accordance with the above men-
tioned criteria.
Munich, 3 June, 2015
Ernst & Young GmbH
Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
Nicole Richter Nina Müller
German Public Auditor German Public Auditor
93
EWE SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
CONTACT AND PUBLICATION DETAILS
>> G4-31
PUBLISHED BY
EWE Aktiengesellschaft
Tirpitzstrasse 39
26122 Oldenburg
Germany
www.ewe.com
CONTACTS
EWE Aktiengesellschaft
Corporate Development –
Sustainability Team
Dr. Friedrich Janssen
Phone: +49 441 4805 1101
E-mail: [email protected]
TEAM EDITORIAL AND TEXT
EWE Aktiengesellschaft
Corporate Communication
Wolfgang Witte, Aurich, Germany
Berichtsmanufaktur GmbH, Hamburg,
Germany
CONCEPT, DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Berichtsmanufaktur GmbH, Hamburg, Germany
www.berichtsmanufaktur.de
PHOTOGRAPHY
Stephan Meyer-Bergfeld, Oldenburg, Germany
Matthias Ibeler, Emsdetten, Germany
(Pictures from Riffgat: Title; p. 38–39)
PRINTED BY
Zertani Die Druck GmbH,
Bremen, Germany
94
EWE
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EWE Aktiengesellschaft
Tirpitzstrasse 39, 26122 Oldenburg,
Germany
www.ewe.com