Stakeholder Dialogue

GRI 102-21, GRI 102-40

Despite the special circumstances in 2020, dialogue between 50Hertz and the Company’s stakeholder groups was continued. The communication options were extended by virtual and hybrid events, and hygiene guidelines were developed for the different occasions.

In a press conference on 1 July 2020, Stefan Kapferer, CEO of 50Hertz, and Chris Peeters, CEO of Elia Group, informed the public of their new corporate strategy: "From 60 to 100 by 2032: for an economy with prospects". Various journalists from Berlin participated in the press conference at the 50Hertz headquarters and used it as an opportunity for direct interaction. The press conference marked the first on-site event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and was carried out successfully by adhering to a broad range of measures. In an outdoor video message following the press conference, Stefan Kapferer directly addressed the public, providing information on the specific objectives of the strategy.

Together with the Danish grid operator Energinet, 50Hertz inaugurated the world’s first hybrid interconnector in October. The interconnector, also called the Combined Grid Solution (CGS), connects two offshore substations in the Baltic Sea to each other as well as to the existing onshore connections of the offshore wind farms. As a result, the CGS can bring offshore wind power to Denmark or Germany and can also be used for cross-border energy trading.  In addition to around 40 attendees on site, made possible by strict hygiene and social distancing regulations, more than 1,000 attendees participated in the event virtually via live stream and listened to speeches by Peter Altmaier, the German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities as well as Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy, who, amongst others, attended the inauguration either in person or virtually.

The Elia Group Stakeholders’ Day took place as a hybrid event for the first time with simultaneous events in Berlin and Brussels. The programme comprised panel discussions and presentations, amongst other things. Around 300 attendees from Germany and Belgium participates in the event virtually.

Overall, 19 events took place in the Communications and Politics department in the reporting year.

A cross-departmental customer survey was carried out for the second time in 2020. A total of 1,054 customers were contacted as part of an online evaluation, including balancing group managers, grid and meter operators as well as factoring customers.