Field of Action: Society and Customers
We stand for a broad dialogue and create value added in the region through our activities and commitment. For our customers we are a dependable and equal partner. We trust in:
- Regional commitment
- Customer orientation
- Added value for society
Regional commitment
We are well aware that grid expansion can only work if we have the broad acceptance of the population. The construction of new power lines in particular affects the interests of many people. For this reason, Amprion gives environmental organisations, associations, authorities and citizens the chance to participate in grid expansion projects by expressing their concerns right from an early stage of our planning activities. We explain to them why new transmission links are needed and how they are planned, approved and built. And we invite them to acquaint themselves with the circumstances and submit any comments they may have even before the formal approval process begins. In doing so, we go beyond what is required of us by law and create the basis for a broad-based dialogue. In each of our projects, one member of staff from Project Communication is put in permanent charge of taking care of the concerns of local and regional stakeholders.
We employ a range of different dialogue formats to conduct a citizen-focused conversation in the project areas. In order to involve as many people as possible, we have deliberately designed our offering to be broadly based. It is important to have this local perspective so that we can implement solutions that match the local circumstances. Our participation formats help us to incorporate the knowledge gathered locally at an early stage – using analogue or digital formats depending on the needs and the target group.
Our dialogue formats for citizens and municipalities
Customer orientation
Furthermore, we seek to build a close collaborative relationship with our customers that goes above and beyond the legal requirement to provide a non-discriminatory grid connection. Some 60 customers from the power plant operator, distribution system operator and industrials segments are connected to our transmission grid. We keep our grid in a stable and secure condition for them, while at the same time working with them to develop solutions for integrating renewable energies that contribute to the decarbonisation of industry. Manufacturers in our grid area increasingly want to use renewables to power their production facilities. To help them achieve this goal, we assist them when it comes to planning more efficient grid connections.
Amprion encourages close interaction with its customers. Through recurring information offerings such as a customer magazine, mailshots on political and grid-related issues, face-to-face meetings, the annual Customers’ Day and online formats we keep them up to date on all the latest developments. In addition, Amprion regularly invites customers to a range of different events. Furthermore, we survey our customers every two to three years on aspects such as performance, competence, customer orientation, reliability and trustworthiness.
Our formats for customer dialogue
Added value for society
Through our work towards a safer and more sustainable energy world, we are contributing to the common good. By actively shaping energy transition, we are assuming responsibility for our society and for sustainable development. What’s more, we are committed to further advancing Europe’s internal electricity market. To this end, we are working with numerous stakeholders and participating in a number of initiatives to promote cross-border concepts and projects.
We champion a range of social issues unrelated to our core business. One component of our commitment concerns financial support for projects linked to equal opportunities as well as open and non-discriminatory access to education. It was against this background that we developed a donations concept that in future will allow appropriate projects to be selected based on clearly defined criteria. The allocation of funds is subsequently reviewed by our Compliance department and, depending on the amount of expenditure involved, approved by the Management Board. Through our “Soziale Projekte im Netz” (SPIN, Social Projects on the Net) programme, we also support employees who do volunteer work.
