We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Jeff Dimery, Chief Executive of Alinta Energy, sits on the board of the Australian Energy Council. (up to date as of April 2021)
Jeff Dimery
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InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Jeff Dimery, Chief Executive of Alinta Energy, sits on the board of the Australian Energy Council. (up to date as of April 2021)
Jeff Dimery
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Alinta Energy is one of 83 direct members of the Chamber of Energy and Minerals of Western Australia (CME website, up-to-date November 2022)
not specified
--no extract--
InfluenceMap Data Point on Corporate - Influencer Relationship
(1 = weak, 10 = strong)
Alinta Energy is one of 83 direct members of the Chamber of Energy and Minerals of Western Australia (CME website, up-to-date November 2022)
not specified
--no extract--
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Open PDF file of Data Source
Climate Lobbying Overview: Alinta Energy appears to have negatively engaged in climate policy lobbying. It has stated support for collective action on emissions reduction through market-based solutions. Furthermore, its position on specific climate regulations, particularly state-based legislations, in recent years has been oppositional. It also seems to have advocated strongly for a continued role of coal in the global energy mix and argued against renewable energy subsidies. In regard of its indirect influence on climate policy, the company lacks transparency on its participation in industry associations and their activities in these associations.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Alinta Energy has communicated mixed positions on climate policy. The company has acknowledged climate change in its 2021 Environment and Community Policy. It stated support for the targets of reaching net-zero economy by 2050 and the interim targets set by the Victorian Government in a consultation submission in August 2021. Alinta also appeared supportive of the 2050 net-zero target proposed by the Australian Energy Council and federal regulations in its sustainability report published in 2020. However, in the same document, the company articulated its preference for market-based policies on energy and climate change. Additionally, in a consultation response made in 2019, Alinta Energy opposed state-level regulations.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In recent years, Alinta Energy appears to oppose state-level climate regulations. In a consultation response to Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap in August 2021, Alinta Energy opposed expanding energy efficiency programs, emphasizing the impact on the energy affordability. In May 2019, the company also advocated the South Australia government in a consultation submission to exclude energy efficiency targets in the Energy Efficiency Scheme and leave the work to the market. In 2019, it advocated in a consultation response for flexibility in the 2030 emissions reduction targets proposed by the State of Victoria (Australia) and cautioned against pursuing the higher end of the target band. This position on emissions reduction policy is not consistent with IPCC’s recommendation on actions needed to deliver on the Paris Agreement’s goals. In another consultation response published in the same year, the company once again opposed the state legislation on GHG emissions assessment proposed by Western Australia, preferring actions to be taken at the national level. Contrary to these positions on state legislation, between 2017-18 in its sustainability reports, the company has communicated positively on the Australian federal Renewable Energy Target and several state-based energy efficiency programs, such as Victorian Energy Efficiency Target and the South Australia Retailer Energy Efficiency Scheme.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Although Alinta Energy appears to acknowledge a shift away from coal to renewables in their 2020 Sustainability Report, its positions towards energy transition is in general negative. In June 2021, in a consultation response to Australian Energy Security Boards’s Post-2025 Market Design Options, Alinta Energy stated support for the Resource Adequacy Mechanism which would effectively subsidize coal and gas. In August 2021, in response to the state of Victoria’s Gas Substitution Roadmap consultation inquiry, Alinta Energy stated gas has a role to play in maintaining the reliability of the electricity supply and that prohibition of new gas connections will impact the affordability of gas. Furthermore, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2021, the company’s CEO Jeff Dimetry has called for government to provide funds to coal-powered plants. Jeff Dimetry has also stated that it is ‘absolutely critical’ to keep coal-fired power plants operating to keep energy supply stable and affordable in an interview with ABC in 2019. In the same year, as reported by the Australian Business Review, the company advocated for the role of gas in the energy mix up and argued against solar subsidies.
Industry Association Governance: Alinta Energy lacks dedicated disclosure or full list of trade associations they are involved with. Nonetheless, InfluenceMap has found on the websites of Australian Energy Council (AEC) and Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CMEWA) that Alinta Energy has membership in these two associations. CMEWA continues to lobby negatively against Australian climate policies including the 2011 carbon tax, the Renewable Energy Target, and a renewable energy target specifically for Western Australia. AEC has lobbied against targets for the share of renewables in the energy mix at a federal level and not supported fully decarbonizing the energy mix.