Nederlands
EBN's universe
EBN continually operates at the interface of commercial activities and public interests. Exploration for and production of oil and gas are expensive, but can also be very profitable. The sector’s commercial interests are substantial, and oil companies have to be kept interested in investing in oil and gas exploration and production. At the same time, production of oil and gas has an impact on society. The State wishes to receive its share of the oil and gas revenues and also insists on production methods that minimise the impact on the environment and on people's surroundings. Over the years, EBN has managed to establish a very special position for itself in that field, where it seeks to combine commercial and public interests.
EBN’s major stakeholders are:
Licence holders
Licence holders are companies that have received permission from the Dutch government to explore for and produce oil or gas.
In virtually all cases, they have cooperation agreements with EBN for the licence concerned. EBN and the licence holder meet at least three times a year to discuss joint policies on operational and technical issues, as well as to approve operational plans and related budgets for each joint venture.
The Netherlands Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Association, NOGEPA, promotes the interests of companies holding licences in the Netherlands for the exploration or production of oil and gas. EBN is not a member of NOGEPA, but cooperates closely with this organisation because of the many common interests. More information can be found on NOGEPA.
Government
The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, being the shareholder’s representative and policymaker, is an important stakeholder for EBN. The Ministry is responsible for policy, legislation and licensing in the energy sector. Its main policy objectives are:
- optimising the structuring of energy markets;
- assuring security of supply in the short and long term;
- making the energy economy more sustainable.
In the specific case of natural gas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation seeks to ensure maximum gas production in the long term, with optimal revenues for society. In accordance with its mission, EBN contributes to implementing this policy. The Ministry publishes an annual review of the companies and their exploration and production activities in the Netherlands. These reviews are available on the Dutch oil and gas portal. The Ministry and EBN frequently consult informally. In addition, the Executive Board and the chairman of the Supervisory Board meet the Director General of the Ministry once a year to coordinate policy and to discuss strategic issues. More information can be found on Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The Ministry of Finance, being the receiver of taxes and other payments, is another major stakeholder of EBN. The Ministry also issues directives on corporate social responsibility for State participations and sets the annual transparency benchmark. More information can be found on Ministry of Finance.
EBN regularly cooperates with TNO B&O specifically with the oil and gas advisory group. This includes providing joint advice to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation on production licences. More information can be found on TNO.
EBN also cooperates with the State Supervision of Mines (Dutch acronym: SodM for Staatstoezicht op de Mijnen), which is the State inspectorate and responsible for supervising all the activities involved in mineral exploration and production. Its key concerns are safety, health, environment, production efficiency, subsidence and earth tremors. More information on this can be found on State Supervision of Mines.
Customers
EBN seeks to maintain sustainable and mutually profitable relationships with buyers of gas, oil and condensate. This particularly applies to GasTerra, not only because the latter is EBN’s principal customer, but also because EBN owns 40% of the Gasterra shares. In 2009, small proportion of gas was sold to other companies, such as GDF Suez Global Gas and LNG branche and StatoilHydro ASA. The condensate that accompanies gas production, was sold to Sabic and PetrochemCarless in 2009. Oil from the De Ruyter field was sold during the year to various companies that operate refineries, including Shell, Conoco, Petroplus and Total.
Suppliers
The main service providers are law firms and auditors. In the year under review, EBN used Ernst & Young, Deloitte and KPMG for financial services, while legal services were provided by e.g. Allen & Overy and Loyens & Loeff. When purchasing general facility-management services and office supplies for our Utrecht office, we increasingly consider whether these products meet CSR criteria.
Professional organisations
EBN actively supports several professional organisations. It sponsors Clingendael International Energy Programme, a think-tank for geopolitical issues, as well as the Energy Delta Institute, a training and knowledge institute for the gas industry.
EBN also sponsors several small and large organisations that promote public involvement in the oil and gas industry and encourage research in this area. EBN has pledged, for instance, to help fund a new theme room, focusing on the deep subsurface, at the Museon, a popular-science museum in The Hague.
