Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Uniper is highly engaged in EU climate policy, typically taking negative positions. The company does not support efforts to transition the energy mix and strongly advocates for the continued use of fossil gas.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Uniper is supportive of climate action in its top-line messaging. In a December 2023 joint declaration, Uniper CEO Martin Lewis supported GHG emissions reductions on a timescale in line with scientific recommendations. The company also supported the EU's net-zero by 2050 target in a May 2024 press release and appeared to advocate for government regulation to achieve climate neutrality in its 2023 Sustainability Report, released in April 2024. Uniper was supportive of the Paris Agreement goals and the agreement reached at COP28 in its April 2024 Climate Transition Plan.
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: Uniper supports emissions trading regulation in the EU, but is less supportive of renewable energy legislation. The company supported the EU Emissions Trading System revision in a February 2023 consultation response and a November 2024 LinkedIn post. In a February 2023 consultation response, Uniper supported renewable energy measures in the EU Electricity Market Design revision with major exceptions, advocating for two-way contracts for difference to be available to non-renewable technologies. The company does not support the EU’s renewable hydrogen rules, advocating in an October 2024 consultation response for a longer transitional phase for additionality requirements and geographical and temporal correlation criteria. It further called for a “targeted” revision of the rules in a November 2024 LinkedIn post, without providing additional details.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Uniper is not supportive of transitioning the energy mix away from fossil fuels. The company suggested that a long-term role for fossil gas in the energy mix is desirable, without placing clear conditions on the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in its 2023 Sustainability Report, published in April 2024. It also supported a long-term role for fossil gas, alongside hydrogen and biomethane, but without a clear position on decarbonizing hydrogen production in a September 2024 press release. Uniper CEO Michael Lewis supported hydrogen produced from renewable energy and fossil fuels in a November 2024 LinkedIn post, however without stating a specific intended sector for its use, nor stating the need to increase renewables and reduce fossil fuel use. .
In an October 2024 consultation response, Uniper advocated for a weaker EU Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonization Package Delegated Act on the definition of low-carbon hydrogen. The company did not support the demand response and flexible generation measures in the EU Electricity Market Design reform, and advocated for capacity mechanisms that incentivize gas-fired power plants with CCS, in a February 2023 consultation response. CEO Michael Lewis supported the EU Methane Regulation to address emissions from fossil gas but also advocated for a continued role of fossil gas without placing clear conditions on the need for CCS, in an October 2024 Eurogas newsletter. Uniper engaged positively with the EU Industrial Carbon Management policy and Net Zero Industry Act, supporting the scale up of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure, in a June 2024 joint industry letter.
Industry Association Governance: Uniper disclosed a list of its industry association memberships in its April 2024 Climate Transition Plan, but excluded its membership to the International Gas Union, Natural & bio Gas Vehicle Association, and Natural Gas Supply Association (NGSA), all of which have negatively engaged with climate policy. The company does not appear to have disclosed or reviewed its industry associations' positions and engagement activities.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2025.