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Transparency at dena

As a public company, we are committed to a special level of transparency.

dena works together with numerous partners from politics, business, the scientific community and all parts of society, both nationally and internationally. Our projects are largely financed by public funds and are highly relevant to society.

As a public company, it is particularly important for dena to communicate transparently, including beyond its statutory reporting obligations. Accordingly, we provide detailed information here on:

  • Financing
  • Business activities (reports)
  • Memberships
  • Lobbying register

Financing

Shareholders and business model

dena is a public company owned by the German federal government in the legal form of a GmbH. dena GmbH’s shareholders are the Federal Republic of Germany and dena itself, each holding 50 per cent. The shares held by dena do not bear voting rights. The Federal Republic of Germany is represented among the shareholders by the federal ministries responsible for the energy transition and climate action: the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport and the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

dena primarily fulfils orders from its shareholders as an in-house company of the federal government. Orders from shareholders accounted for more than 90 per cent of total annual revenue in 2023. dena can be commissioned directly by its shareholders. 

For the remaining less than ten per cent, dena identifies relevant topics that also support the German federal government’s energy and climate policy goals. For these externally funded projects, dena is looking for partners from business to participate in financing. However, the projects that are not financed by the shareholders also include projects with the EU, the federal states or local authorities as clients.

dena is organised under private law as a public company owned by the German federal government in the legal form of a GmbH. As a public company, it is not geared towards maximising profits, but primarily offers its services to cover its costs. Profits generated are used to cover financial risks in the long term and to further develop business operations.

Financing of dena’s project work

As a project company, dena finances itself exclusively through its ongoing projects. We worked on more than 100 projects in total in the 2023 financial year. The majority of these projects are scheduled to run for more than one year, with some lasting up to five years or more.

Over 60 projects were financed and implemented by shareholder funding in 2023. dena’s main client here is the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

The distribution of shareholder funds in the financing of dena’s project work in 2023 is as follows:

  • German Foreign Office – 1.1 per cent
  • Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action – 87.3 per cent
  • Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building – 0.3 per cent
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – 1.6 per cent
  • KfW Bankengruppe – 0.6 per cent (shareholder of dena GmbH until 31 July 2023)
  • In addition, dena financed another project in 2023 through funding from the public sector. The share of this funding in the financing of dena’s project work totalled 1.8 percent. This funding was provided by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action.

Thirty-two projects were financed by other donors or third-party funds.

Reports on business activities

© Silke Reents

dena regularly publishes reports on its corporate activities. An annual report and a public corporate governance report are published annually. The sustainability report is published every two years. As of the 2024 reporting year, publication will take place annually.

The dena sustainability report – reporting years 2022/23 (German)

All dena reports from previous years.

Memberships

dena’s memberships

One of dena’s primary tasks is to bring together the stakeholders and decision-makers needed for the energy transition and climate protection and to work together on solutions for specific tasks. To this end, dena establishes and coordinates its own various platforms and initiatives. At the same time, dena is a member of national and international organisations in order to network as effectively as possible in the interests of the energy transition and climate protection and to involve even more stakeholders.

Memberships and offices held by the Management Board

In addition to dena’s memberships as a company, the Management Board members are also permitted to be active in organisations and committees in order to represent dena’s interests. Corinna Enders, Chairperson of dena’s Management Board, has been elected to the extended Executive Committee of Wirtschaftsforum der SPD e.V. for two years, effective 10 September 2024. Managing Director Kristina Haverkamp has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the Weltenergierat – Germany e.V. for two years from 1 May 2024.

Lobby register of the German Bundestag

dena is registered in the lobby register of the German Bundestag under the number R003336. The aim of this publicly accessible register is to create greater transparency in the representation of interests vis-à-vis the German Bundestag and the German federal government.

Lobby register of the German Bundestag

In accordance with the Lobby Register Act, dena has also separately recorded individual initiatives that it coordinates and promotes. These projects are financed by various donors:

Statements

One of dena’s tasks is to draw up statements, impulse papers, press releases/statements from the Management Board and position papers on current political strategy and legislative procedures relating to the energy transition and climate protection, as well as to develop and implement studies and projects in the context of the energy transition: