Dominion Energy (Dominion Energy Resources, Inc.) | Report on risk and impacts of natural gas use at Dominion Energy Inc.

Status
80.13% votes in favour
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
7
Resolution details
Company ticker
NYSE: D
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Environment
ESG sub-theme
  • Climate change
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Utilities
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Shareholders request that Dominion issue a report at reasonable cost and omitting proprietary information describing how it is responding to the risk of stranded assets of planned natural gas based infrastructure and assets as the global response to climate change intensifies.
Supporting statement
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report finding that "rapid, far-reaching” changes are necessary in the next 10 years to avoid disastrous levels of global warming. The energy sector has a critical role to play in mitigating climate risks. Already, the sector is undergoing a rapid transition by moving away from coal, but growing reliance on natural gas creates ongoing risk. Natural gas is a major contributor to climate change due to methane leaks and routine combustion emissions. In 2018, natural gas contributed to an increase in power sector emissions, thereby jeopardizing chances of achieving reductions in line with the Paris Agreement’s goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Investing in new gas infrastructure may be uneconomic and result in costly stranded assets comparable to early retirements now occurring for coal. While some low-carbon scenarios show gas use continuing, they rely on carbon removal technologies -- a risky assumption given that the technology has yet to prove economic at scale. Existing alternatives to natural gas -- such as renewables plus storage, demand response, electrification, and energy efficiency -- are all increasingly cost-effective means of serving energy needs while reducing fossil fuel use and climate impacts. City governments, recognizing gas’ harmful climate impacts, are setting policies prohibiting gas hookups for new buildings in favor of safer, healthier electric buildings. Furthermore, states, cities, and large consumers are setting ambitious renewable energy targets, which utilities will need to supply or risk losing business. While Dominion (the Company) is to be commended for taking climate conscious steps, including setting a long term greenhouse gas target and actions to decrease methane leakage, investors lack sufficient information to understand if or how the Company can reconcile its growing reliance on natural gas with aligning with the Glasgow COP26 goals. Even though the Company canceled the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, the Company signed onto a contract for capacity from the Mountain Valley Pipeline (an expensive new natural gas infrastructure project still under construction). This is incongruent with the recent pledge that over 100 countries, including the U.S. and China, made to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2020. This indicates that the Company may not be sufficiently addressing commitments for new natural gas infrastructure projects to be reconciled with climate stability goals or the existence of increasingly low cost, clean energy pathways. Peer utilities, including Xcel, have demonstrated alternatives to investing in new gas infrastructure by replacing coal assets with renewables and storage, creating win-win solutions. Shareholders are concerned that the Company is lagging behind on such opportunities and increasing its exposure to climate-related risks by investing in significant gas holdings that may become stranded.

How other organisations have declared their voting intentions

Organisation name Declared voting intentions Rationale
LocalTapiola Asset Management Ltd For A vote FOR this proposal is warranted because shareholders would benefit from one unified disclosure that addresses any risks from stranded natural gas assets.

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