The Company’s project for creation of the Siberia agro-industrial park in the west of the Krasnoyarsk Territory provides for construction of a greenhouse complex, an advanced grain processing complex, a poultry farm and a fishery.
The year was difficult and motivating, full of new tasks and non-trivial challenges. We have successfully passed through this year together with the team of energetic leaders and true professionals.
The corporate governance system of Unipro PJSC is built in full compliance with the norms and requirements of the Russian legislation. A special role in building an efficient corporate governance system goes to the governance standards which are extensively used by Uniper Group and which the Company vigorously incorporates into its governance practice.
The most critical priorities of Unipro PJSC include:
Corporate Governance Principles at Unipro PJSC*
In the autumn of 2019, Allen & Overy performed an audit of the corporate governance system. This audit included the following:
(a) review of the structure of the management and control bodies of Unipro PJSC, as well as its compliance with the requirements of the Russian legislation (including the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, Federal Law of 20 December 1995 No. 208-FZ “On Joint-Stock Companies” (as amended) and the Moscow Exchange requirements for corporate governance of issuers);
(b) analysis of internal documents and regulations of Unipro PJSC governing the activities of its management and control bodies;
(d) reviewing the Annual Report of Unipro PJSC for 2018 for compliance with the principles of the Code of Corporate Governance approved by the Bank of Russia (CBR) (Letter No. 06−52 / 2463 dated 10 April 2014) and comparing the level of compliance with market practice.
Based on the audit results, Allen & Overy came to the conclusion that Unipro PJSC meets high standards of corporate governance, the structure of governing and control bodies and the content of internal documents comply with legal requirements, and the corporate governance structure as a whole reflects the best market practice.
In addition, Allen & Overy issued a list of recommendations for further improvement of corporate governance at Unipro PJSC, which will be further considered by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors in 2020.
The principles and recommendations approved by the Code of Corporate Governance recommended by the Central Bank of Russia are the main performance targets for improving the corporate governance system of the Company. Improvement of the corporate governance is considered by Unipro PJSC as an integral part of overall work to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the Company and is subject to constant monitoring by the Board of Directors and executive bodies of the Company.
In 2019, the following key activities were implemented:
The corporate governance of Unipro PJSC is focused on creating and maintaining the Company’s trusting relations with investors, protecting the rights and interests of shareholders, increasing the value of shares and improving business reputation.
In 2019, Unipro PJSC participated in four lawsuits initiated by companies of RUSAL Group, namely RUSAL Bratsk PJSC (case No. A40−307364/2018), RUSAL Sayanogorsk JSC (case No. A40−12454/2019), RUSAL Novokuznetsk JSC (case No. A40−13761/2019), RUSAL Energo LLC (case No. A40−13754/2019). The companies of RUSAL Group filed claims to terminate capacity contracts, to which the issuer and each of the RUSAL Group companies are parties, in respect of 3 power units of Berezovskaya GRES and to recover unjust enrichment in the total amount of RUB 385 mln.
As of 31 December 2019, the proceedings under the cases were terminated.
“It was a very significant case not only for our Company, but also for the industry as a whole. The settlement of this dispute once again confirmed the regulator’s readiness to honestly consider all aspects of the case and make balanced decisions. In our opinion, a settlement agreement was reached in the interests of all parties to the dispute and the industry as a whole.”
Elena Gabdulkhaeva, Director for Corporate Governance, Legal and Asset Management, Unipro PJSC
Unipro PJSC increases the level of corporate governance, progressively improving the quality of management practices each year. In 2019, the Company continued to improve its corporate governance system according to the recommendations set forth in the Bank of Russia Code of Corporate Governance, promptly responding to external changes and best practices.
The Company partially or fully complies with 95% of the principles of corporate governance and each year significantly improves the indicator of full compliance with the recommendations of the Code of Corporate Governance of the Central Bank of Russia.
Unipro PJSC compliance with the Code of Corporate Governance
Section |
Principles recommended by the Code |
Guidelines fully adopted by the Company |
Guidelines partially adopted by the Company |
Guidelines not adopted by the Company |
---|---|---|---|---|
I. Shareholders' rights and equal treatment of shareholders in the exercise of their rights | 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
II. The Company’s Board of Directors | 37 | 31 | 4 | 2 |
III. The Company’s Corporate Secretary | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
IV. Remuneration system of members of the Board of Directors, executive bodies and other key managerial staff of the Company | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
V. Risk management and internal control system | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
VI. Disclosure of information about the Company, the Company’s information policy | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
VII. Major corporate actions | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
Total | 80 | 55 | 21 | 4 |
In 2020, the Company will continue its efforts to improve corporate governance based on the continuous interaction of all participants of the corporate relations system — shareholders, members of the Board of Directors, committees and management — in order to achieve strategic goals and development priorities of the Company, respect the interests and maximise profits of shareholders in the short, medium and long-term perspective.
Key activities scheduled for 2020:
Assessment of compliance of the Company’s corporate governance with the principles set out in the Code of Corporate Governance, %
The governing bodies structure includes the General Shareholders' Meeting, the Board of Directors, the collective executive body (Management Board) and the sole executive body (CEO).
The Board of Directors has the broadest functions and plays a key role in management of the Company. The Board of Directors is supported in its work by the Audit Committee and the Appointment and Remuneration Committee.
Corporate governance structure at Unipro PJSC as of 31 December 2019
The General Shareholders' Meeting is the highest governance body of Unipro PJSC. The competences of the General Shareholders' Meeting, as described in the Federal Law “On Joint-Stock Companies” and the Company’s Articles of Association, include:
The procedure for convening, preparing, and holding General Shareholders' Meetings is governed by the Regulation on the Procedure for Preparing and Holding the General Shareholders' Meeting.*
The Annual General Shareholders' Meeting of Unipro PJSC, dedicated to the Company’s performance in 2018, took place on 14 June 2019 in Moscow. According to the agenda, the shareholders reviewed the following matters:
Decisions of the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting are available at: http://www.unipro.energy/shareholders/disclosure/facts/2019.
On 3 December 2019, Unipro PJSC held the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting. The venue of the meeting was Surgutskaya-2 GRES, the place of registration of Unipro PJSC.
According to the agenda, the shareholders reviewed the following matters:
The functions of the Scrutiny Committee at the shareholders' meeting were performed by the Registrar of the Company — Independent Registrar Company R.O.S.T. JSC.
Decisions of the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting are available at: http://www.unipro.energy/shareholders/disclosure/facts/2019/
A competent and efficient Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC is a key element of the Company’s corporate governance system.
The activities of the Board of Directors are governed by the Regulation on the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC The text of the Regulation on the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC is published on the Company’s website at http://www.unipro.energy/management/documents/
The competencies of the Board of Directors are established in the Company’s Articles of Association, and are clearly differentiated from those of the Company’s executive bodies overseeing its daily operations. The Board of Directors, among other things:
Key operating principles of the Board of Directors*
The composition of the Board of Directors is structured in a way that ensures a balance of professionalism, knowledge and experience enabling proper performance of their duties by the members of the Board of Directors.
Members of the Board of Directors are elected annually at the General Shareholders' Meeting by cumulative voting.
Key requirements to the formation of the Board of Directors include the following:
The composition of the Board of Directors was changed in 2019. Andreas Schierenbeck and Georgiy Abdushelishvili were elected to the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC at the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting that took place on 14 June 2019, and Klaus Schaeffer and Alexey Germanovich left the Board of Directors. David Bryson was elected to the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC at the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting that took place on 3 December 2019, and Uwe Fip left the Board of Directors.
These changes in the Board of Directors helped to bring a fresh perspective on matters reviewed at meetings of the Board and of its committees, and it is consistent with the current interests, strategies and mission of the Company.
At this stage, the Company pays special attention to working with the Company’s personnel as one of the areas of the Company development, building and improving teamwork and developing a motivation system.
The membership of the Board of Directors as of the end of the reference period was elected by the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting on 3 December 2019.
Structure of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC as of 31 December 2019
Period of service of the members of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC
The institution of independent directors is an important part of the corporate governance system of Unipro PJSC.
Independent directors make an important contribution to the successful functioning of the Board of Directors, especially as regards design of the Company’s development strategy and risk management. They also protect the interests of shareholders and investors.
Since 2018, in an important step forward for corporate governance, the Company has instituted a practice of preliminary meetings with independent directors for discussion of key issues to be submitted for consideration by the Board of Directors.
The current Board of Directors includes three independent directors, meeting the requirements established by the listing rules of the Moscow Stock Exchange and the Code of the Central Bank of Russia.
Independent directors serving on the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC in 2019 were as follows:
Candidates | The Company’s body |
Date of the resolution passing |
Resolution |
---|---|---|---|
G. Abdushelishvili | Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 6 November 2019 (Minutes No. 281 dated 8 November 2019) | Acknowledged as independent |
A. Belova | Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 4 April 2019 (Minutes No. 272 dated 5 April 2019) | Acknowledged as independent |
Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 6 November 2019 (Minutes No. 281 dated 8 November 2019) | ||
O. Vyugin | Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 4 April 2019 (Minutes No. 272 dated 5 April 2019) | Acknowledged as independent despite the presence of the formal criterion of his relation to the Company’s material counterparties: Rosneft Oil Company PJSC and NCO NCC (JSC)* |
Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 6 November 2019 (Minutes No. 281 dated 8 November 2019) | Acknowledged as independent despite the presence of the formal criterion of his relation to the Company’s material counterparties: Rosneft Oil Company PJSC and NCO NCC (JSC)* | |
А. Germanovich | Board of Directors (with preliminary consideration by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) | 4 April 2019 (Minutes No. 272 dated 5 April 2019) | Acknowledged as independent |
In March and October 2019 the Appointment and Remuneration Committee analysed the professional qualifications and independence of all candidates to the Board of Directors of the Company. The analysis was carried out on the basis of information and completed questionnaires received from the candidates to the Board of Directors of the Company, and also based on the available personal data of candidates.
Based on the experience of working with independent directors, it can be stated that these individuals show a high level of professionalism, objective judgment and independent participation in voting on all agenda issues.
Given the recommendations of the Code of Corporate Governance recommended by the Bank of Russia and the best market practices of corporate governance by the Board of Directors, a decision was made on 10 December 2019 to elect A. Belova (independent director) the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Personal attendance at meetings of the Board of Directors and its committees in 2019
Member of the Board of Directors |
Participation in meetings of the Board of Directors |
Audit Committee |
Appointment and Remuneration Committee |
---|---|---|---|
Members of the Board of Directors during the entire reporting year | |||
Anna Belova | 16/16 | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Patrick Wolff | 16/16 | - | - |
Oleg Vyugin | 16/16 | 5/5 | 10/10 |
Günter Eckhardt | 16/16 | - | - |
Reiner Hartmann | 16/16 | - | - |
Maxim Shirokov | 16/16 | - | - |
Persons appointed to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting on 14 June 2019 | |||
Andreas Schierenbeck | 8/8 | - | - |
Georgiy Abdushelishvili | 8/8 | 2/2 | 5/5 |
Persons who left the Board of Directors at the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting on 14 June 2019 | |||
Alexey Germanovich | 8/8 | 3/3 | 5/5 |
Klaus Schäfer | 0/8 | - | - |
Persons appointed to the Board of Directors at the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting on 3 December 2019 | |||
David Bryson | 1/1 | - | - |
Persons who left the Board of Directors at the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting on 3 December 2019 | |||
Uwe Fip | 12/15 | - | - |
The Board of Directors held 16 meetings in 2019, including four in the form of joint presence. A total of 81 agenda items were considered, mainly concerning Company strategy, corporate governance, financial and business operations, and HR matters.
In-person meetings of the Board of Directors
Main resolutions approved by the Board of Directors in 2019
Category of matters | The most critical resolutions |
---|---|
Strategy and priority business areas |
Review of strategic prospects for Company development |
Approval of new build projects for modernisation of generating equipment, selected at the competitive selections for 2022−2024, and approval of participation in the selection of projects for modernisation of Unipro PJSC Surgutskaya-2 GRES units with commissioning in 2025 | |
Review of progress with reinstatement of Power Unit No. 3 at Berezovskaya GRES | |
Approval of the conclusion of the Agreement to Settle the Dispute under a Complaint (Pre-Action) Protocol between Unipro PJSC and OES JSC | |
Review of the issues on resolution of disputes between Unipro PJSC and RUSAL Group | |
Introduction of amendments to the Regulation on Procurement of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the agreement on termination of the services contract for organisation and management of repair and reconstruction work at Power Unit No. 3 of Berezovskaya GRES Branch, Unipro PJSC, between Unipro PJSC and Unipro Engineering LLC | |
Corporate governance | Convening of Annual and Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meetings of the Company |
Election of the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors | |
The functions of the Company’s Corporate Secretary were assigned to the Corporate Policy Department | |
Appointment of the Head of the Corporate Policy Department | |
Formation of committees of the Board of Directors | |
Reviewal of reports of the committees at the Board of Directors on their performance in 2018 | |
Review of issues regarding the acknowledgement of candidate to the Board of Directors as independent | |
Review of the results of work by the Board of Directors and its committees in 2018/2019 | |
Consideration of the Report on the Compliance Management System audit, the Report “Corporate Governance Review” | |
Approval of the work plan of the Board of Directors for 2019/2020 | |
Approval of the report on the Company’s related-party transactions in 2018 | |
Approval of the updated version of the Regulation on the Dividend Policy of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the updated version of the Regulation on the Insider Information of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the Information Policy | |
Approval of transactions required under the Russian legislation and (or) the Company’s Articles of Association | |
Control, risks and reporting | Approval of the Company’s IFRS budget for 2019 |
Review of the CEO’s report on Company business for 2018, including the approved report on budget execution | |
Review of the annual report on functioning of the Company’s corporate risk management system | |
Review of reports on principal material risks related to Company business | |
Approval of the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the 2018 financial year prepared as per IFRS | |
Approval of the Company’s Financial Performance Indicators for 2018 | |
Amendment of the Company’s IFRS budget for 2018 | |
Setting of remuneration payable to the auditor of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the loan agreement between the Company and Uniper SE | |
Appointment of the Head of the Internal Audit Department | |
Approval of the Internal Audit Plan 2020 for Unipro PJSC | |
HR and remuneration | Definition of the terms and conditions of the employment contract to be concluded with Maxim Shirokov, CEO of Unipro PJSC |
Definition of payments to the CEO of the Company | |
Approval for concurrent holding of positions in the management bodies of other companies by Maxim Shirokov (the CEO of Unipro PJSC and member of the Management Board of Unipro PJSC) | |
Approval of the incentive plan for the Unipro PJSC management team |
The next meeting of members of the Board of Directors was held at Berezovskaya GRES on 22 October 2019. In addition to the current composition, the following persons took part in the work of the Board of Directors: Deputy CEO of Unipro PJSC Igor Popov, Director for Corporate Governance, Legal and Asset Management Elena Gabdulkhaeva, Director of Berezovskaya GRES Branch of Unipro PJSC Sergey Raikhel, Director for Capital Construction Igor Sokoushin, Director for Efficiency of New Build Projects Igor Shelukhin, Head of the Financial Control Department for Capital Construction Mikhail Ulyanov, Head of the Industrial Safety Service of Unipro PJSC Stanislav Sitnikov, and CEO of Uniper Technologies GmbH Cord Landsmen. During their visit, the members of the Board of Directors were shown around the museum of Berezovskaya GRES, where they learnt about the history of construction, main historical milestones and present-day equipment of one of the largest thermal power plants in Russia.
Also, members of the Board of Directors made a tour of the plant, during which they had an opportunity to ask questions regarding repair and reconstruction work, and industrial safety.
Eckhardt Rümmler, a member of the Uniper SE Management Board, noted that the power plant is committed to good work practices, safe handling of hazardous materials and compliance with rules for the use of personal protective equipment.
The system of the Board of Directors remuneration comprises a fixed (quarterly) and a variable (annual) parts. The fixed part depends on how actively the members participated in the work of the Board of Directors. The variable part is linked to the Company’s financial performance in order to encourage commitment of Board members to the Company’s business, and make them interested in achieving best-possible financial results* .
The regulation stipulates for the reimbursement to the members of the Board of Directors of all expenses incurred by them in the fulfilment of their job obligations as members of the Board of Directors.
Remuneration is only paid to those Board members who do not hold paid positions, and are not members of the Management Board of the Company and of its affiliates.
Information on remuneration of members of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC, RUB thousand
Type of remuneration | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|
Quarterly remuneration | 5,093 | 5,320 | 5,047 |
Annual remuneration (for the previous year) | 12,364 | 11,472 | 11,121 |
Compensation of expenses | 120 | 1,115 | 987 |
Total, Unipro PJSC | 17,578 | 17,907 | 17,155 |
Optimising resolutions by the Board of Directors, more detailed preliminary consideration of key issues and preparation of relevant recommendations were the responsibility of two committees in 2019:
The Audit Committee was established on 30 November 2006.
The committees are fully accountable in their work to the Board of Directors.
The committees are set up taking account of recommendations of the Code of Corporate Governance of the Bank of Russia, as well as the professional experience and knowledge of Board members in the relevant field, which enables them to carry out their tasks efficiently.
Under the Moscow Exchange Listing Rules, the Audit Committee and the Appointment and Remuneration Committee can only include independent directors. This helps to ensure that the recommendations are objective and well-grounded.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee is a corporate deliberative body established to assist in the effective performance of the functions of the Board of Directors in terms of control over financial and business operations of the Company
The main objectives of the Audit Committee:
The committee acts by virtue of the Articles of Association and the Regulation on the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC.* The regulation takes into account all the requirements set out by the new Moscow Exchange Listing Rules for the inclusion and maintenance of an issuer’s shares in the first level quotation list at the exchange.
In 2019, three in-person meetings of the Audit Committee were held.
Structure of the most significant matters reviewed by the Audit Committee in 2019
Quantitative and personal composition of the Audit Committee in 2019
Period |
Number of members of the committee |
Members |
---|---|---|
1 January 2019 — 14 June 2019 | 3 | Alexey Germanovich, Chairman of the Committee |
Anna Belova | ||
Oleg Vyugin | ||
14 June 2019 — 31 December 2019 | 3 | Anna Belova, Chairperson of the Committee |
Georgiy Abdushelishvili | ||
Oleg Vyugin |
Key matters reviewed by the Audit Committee in 2019
Category of matters | Key matters reviewed by the committee |
---|---|
Accounting (financial) statements | Reviewing the annual accounting statements of Unipro PJSC for 2018 prepared in accordance with Russian laws |
Report of the Revision Commission of Unipro PJSC on the Company’s financial and business operations in 2018 | |
Review of the financial results of Uniper Group for 2018, 3 months, 6 months and 9 months of 2019, prepared in accordance with IFRS | |
Review of information on Unipro PJSC modernisation projects | |
External audit | Report of the external auditor on the reviewed financial statements of the Company for 2018 (IFRS) |
Assessment of the quality of the audit opinion on the accounting statements of Unipro PJSC for the 2018 financial year prepared under the Russian law requirements | |
Report by the auditor on its review of interim financial information of Unipro PJSC for 6 months of 2019 | |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors on an external auditor candidate to be proposed at the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting | |
Recommendations to the Management Board on the external auditor candidate for subsidiaries of Unipro PJSC | |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors on determining the amount of remuneration for the auditor of Unipro PJSC | |
Comments by the auditor on financial results for 9 months of 2019 | |
Risk management | Performance of the risk function in 2018. Report on key risks of Unipro PJSC as of 1 April 2019 |
Report on risks and opportunities of Unipro PJSC for 9 months of 2019 | |
Corporate governance | The Dividend Policy of Unipro PJSC for 2019−2022 |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors on profit distribution for FY 2018, dividend amounts and payment recommendations to be proposed to the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting | |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors on distribution of profit for 9 months of 2019, dividend amounts and payment recommendations to be proposed to the Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting | |
Discussion of amendments to the Regulation on the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors | |
Report by the Head of the Internal Audit Department on preliminary performance in 2019. Approval of the work plan for 2020 | |
Report of the Head of the Internal Audit Department of Unipro PJSC on the performance of the internal audit service and updating the audit plan for 2019 | |
Review of the auditor’s plan for 2019 |
The Committee constitutes a collegial deliberative body established in order to assist the Board of Directors in strengthening its professional composition and work efficiency, as well as in considering issues associated with the development of efficient and transparent remuneration practices for members of the Board of Directors, executive bodies, and other key executives of the Company.
The main objectives of the committee include:
The Appointment and Remuneration Committee was established on 14 April 2008.
Quantitative and personal composition of the Appointment and Remuneration Committee in 2019
Period |
Number of members of the committee |
Members |
---|---|---|
1 January 2019 — 14 June 2019 | 3 | Anna Belova, Chairwoman of the Committee |
Oleg Vyugin | ||
Alexey Germanovich | ||
14 June 2019 — 31 December 2019 | 3 | Georgiy Abdushelishvili, Chairman of the Committee |
Anna Belova | ||
Oleg Vyugin |
The committee acts by virtue of the Articles of Association and the Regulation on the Appointment and Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC.* The regulation takes into account all the requirements set out by the new Listing Rules of the Moscow Exchange PJSC for inclusion and maintenance of the shares of an issuer in the first level quotation list.
In 2019, the Appointment and Remuneration Committee held ten meetings, including six in-person meetings.
At the end of 2019 — beginning of 2020, an independent assessment of the activities of the Company’s Board of Directors was carried out by an external independent consultant* - PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting LLC. The assessment of the activities of the Board of Directors was carried out from December 2019 to February 2020 through a survey of the members of the Board of Directors, individual interviews with the members of the Board of Directors and certain senior employees of the Company, as well as analysis of internal documents governing the activities of the Board of Directors and its committees, minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors and committees and other relevant materials.
The perimeter of assessment included the following areas:
Structure of the most significant matters reviewed by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee in 2019
Key matters reviewed by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee in 2019
Category of matters | Key matters reviewed by the committee |
---|---|
Remuneration and incentives | Recommendations to the Board of Directors on the item of definition of terms and conditions of the employment contract with the CEO of Unipro PJSC |
Review of KPI achievement by members of the Management Board in 2018 | |
Review of target KPIs of members of the Management Board for 2019 | |
Approval of financial performance indicators for calculating annual bonuses to Company employees in 2018 and a proposal to the Board of Directors on this matter | |
Payment of the 2018 bonus to the CEO and a proposal to the Board of Directors on this matter | |
Recommendations to the CEO regarding bonuses for the Deputy CEO for Finance and Economics and the Deputy CEO for Production for 2018 | |
Definition of terms and conditions of employment contracts with the Deputy CEO for Finance and Economics and the Deputy CEO for Production | |
Evaluation and remuneration of the Corporate Secretary of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC | |
Review of the factors influencing the financial performance of Uniper SE (EBITDA) and Unipro PJSC (EBITDA) in 2019 when calculating the employees' annual bonuses | |
Review of the principles of remuneration of independent members of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC (with due regard to the current practices of Uniper SE) | |
Recommendations to the Company’s Board of Directors on the matter: “Recognition of the merits of the CEO of Unipro PJSC due to his federal award” | |
HR policy | Recommendations to the Board of Directors on election of the Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors on election of the Deputy Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors | |
Recommendations on formation of the committees of the Board of Directors | |
Recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the Corporate Secretary of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the holding by M. Shirokov (the CEO and member of the Management Board of Unipro PJSC) of concurrent positions in management bodies of other companies | |
The talent management system of Unipro PJSC: planning of key staff pool | |
Position of Unipro PJSC on the matter of trade unions' entering into the Company’s management bodies | |
Proposal for adaptation of new independent members of the Board of Directors | |
Corporate governance | Report of the Appointment and Remuneration Committee for 2018 on assessing performance of the Board of Directors in 2018 |
Priority activities of the Appointment and Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC for corporate year 2019−2020 | |
Review of the work plan of the Appointment and Remuneration Committee in 2019−2020 | |
Review of proposals by Company shareholders for the nomination of candidates to the Company’s management and supervision bodies, to be elected at the 2018 Annual General Shareholders' Meeting, and on recommendations to the Board of Directors on this matter | |
Discussion of amendments to the Regulation on the Appointment and Remuneration Committee of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC |
Positive dynamics in the performance of the Board of Directors over the past few years includes:
Results of the independent assessment of the Board of Directors' performance
The Company generally complies with the principles and recommendations of both the Russian and British codes of corporate governance and other applicable standards. The Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC has the following main strengths: | |
1. | The current composition of the Board of Directors is well balanced in terms of skills, knowledge and experience of members of the Board of Directors. |
2. | The Board of Directors has a significant social and cultural diversity; the Board of Directors has a balance of continuity and consistent renewal of the Board’s composition. |
3. | A significant share of the Board of Directors (1/3) is made up of independent directors who play an active and important role. The committees of the Board of Directors (the Audit Committee and the Appointment and Remuneration Committee) are fully composed of independent directors. |
4. | The most important matters of the Company’s activities are usually considered at in-person meetings of the Board of Directors. |
5. | The coverage of topics discussed by the Board of Directors is quite broad. |
6. | Members of the Board of Directors assess their activities as the most effective in the following areas: business planning and budgeting, monitoring the effective implementation of plans and budgets, and evaluation of business performance. |
7. | Meetings of the Board of Directors are characterised by active discussions on agenda items and decisions made; initiative and expression of various opinions on issues under discussion are encouraged. |
8. | Members of the Board of Directors ask the Company’s management “uncomfortable” questions and express constructive criticisms of proposed decisions, which contributes to making informed decisions. |
9. | The committees of the Board of Directors contribute to a more thorough review of agenda items and effective work of the Board of Directors in general. |
Future development areas
In order to further increase the efficiency of its activities, the Board of Directors is recommended to focus on the following main aspects: |
|
1. | Organisation and delivery of a strategic session to discuss and agree on strategic priorities and high-level goals (possibly with participation of external experts). It is recommended that strategic discussions cover such issues as technology and sustainable development. |
2. | Focusing on the issues of succession of the senior management and the Board of Directors to ensure availability of a pool in the medium- and long-term perspective. |
3. | Making decisions on the most important issues by a qualified majority of votes and reflecting this provision in the Company’s Articles of Association. |
4. | Developing a training and development plan for Board members that meets the needs of individual directors. |
5. | Ensuring the focus of the Board and its committees on the issue of monitoring the status of implementation of previously adopted decisions. |
In March 2019, a self-assessment of performance of the Board of Directors for 2018/2019 was carried out. The assessment was carried out by a survey (completion of a questionnaire) of the members of the Board of Directors regarding work by the Board during the term of office of its members.
Based on analysis of the data, the Appointment and Remuneration Committee compiled a report on performance by the Board of Directors and its committees in 2018/2019, and made recommendations for further improvement of work by the Board and its committees.
This report was considered at the meeting of the Board of Directors in the form of joint presence, which was held on 4 April 2019. The assessment confirmed that the Board of Directors and its committees had performed efficiently in 2018/2019.
The Company has integrated procedures in place for successful prevention and managing conflicts of interest of members of the Board of Directors, achieving reasonable assurance that conflicts of interest (if any) are settled at early stages, and that the interests of the Company and its shareholders are not harmed.
In exercising their rights and performing their duties, the members of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC shall be guided by the ethical standards adhered to by the Company, including the Code of Corporate Conduct, and shall comply with the Company’s by-laws concerning insider information and restrictions imposed by such by-laws on Board members in their capacity as Company insiders.
Members of the Board of Directors provide to the Corporate Secretary written information within five business days since the occurrence of any of the following circumstances:
A member of the Board of Directors informs the Chairman of the Board of Directors of his/ her intention to join governing bodies of other organisations, as well as of the fact of such an appointment by sending a respective notice no later than 14 days from the date of the appointment.
A member of the Board of Directors shall notify the Board of Directors via the Corporate Secretary upon the occurrence of a conflict of interest in respect of any item of agenda of a meeting or absentee voting of the Board of Directors, before the start of discussion of such agenda item at an in-person meeting of the Board of Directors or within one day upon receipt of voting ballots for participation in an absentee voting. Each member of the Board of Directors shall abstain from voting on any agenda item where he/she faces a conflict of interests.
Moreover, a member of the Board of Directors is to timely disclose formation on the ownership of securities of the Company, the Company’s subsidiaries and controlling entities, on their sale and (or) acquisition, and on taking positions in other legal entities, on membership in the Board of Directors (Supervisory Board) of another legal entity, and on the change of the permanent (main) position.
To timely identify conflicts of interest, the Company developed a questionnaire for members of the Board of Directors, which incorporates both legislative requirements to completeness of disclosed information and changes to the Federal Law “On Joint-Stock Companies”. Members of the Board of Directors are to fill in the questionnaire on a quarterly basis, and disclose all relevant data that may imply a conflict of interest.
No notification was received from members of the Board of Directors concerning conflicts of interest during 2019
The Management Board is a collective executive body supervising the most significant aspects of management of the Company’s business within the powers stipulated by the Articles of Association and the Regulation on the Management Board of Unipro PJSC* . The Management Board reports to the Board of Directors and the General Shareholders' Meeting.
Key responsibilities of the Management Board comprise the following:
Pursuant to Clause 18.3 of the Articles of Association of the Company, members of the Company’s Management Board are elected by the Board of Directors in the number of at least three persons. The Board of Directors may determine a greater number of members of the Management Board.
No changes to the Management Board took place in 2019.
Members of the Management Board as of 31 December 2019
In 2019, 45 meetings of the Management Board were held, in the course of which the Board discussed issues related to all areas of the Company’s operating activity.
Key issues reviewed by the Management Board in 2019
Category of matters | Key matters reviewed by the Management Board |
---|---|
Strategy and priority business areas | Adjustment of the Unipro PJSC investment (managerial) programme for 2019 |
Review of the Unipro PJSC Investment (managerial) Programme for 2020 | |
Review of tariff setting by the Company for heat production, water treatment and water disposal | |
Review of the progress in new build projects | |
Approval of a new build project “Technical refurbishment of the integrated generating set of KAG 24−30/30000 and protection of the power unit of station No. 1 with the development of a design project at Surgutskaya-2 GRES” | |
Approval of a new build project “Reconstruction of the fire pipeline of the industrial site of Surgutskaya-2 GRES” | |
Approval of participation of Unipro PJSC units in the competitive capacity auction for 2022−2024 and the price parameters of respective applications | |
Approval of a new build project “Modernisation of the unified automated system for financial and economic management at Unipro PJSC” | |
Approval of the concept of disposal of non-core assets of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the priority action plan for the return of Unipro PJSC to heat supply within the boundaries of the city of Shatura | |
Approval of agreements for the main operations | |
Determining the parameters of price bids of Unipro PJSC for participation in the selection of modernisation projects for units No. 1, 4, 5, 6 of Surgutskaya-2 GRES and unit No. 6 of Shaturskaya GRES | |
Review of the strategy of using CCGT units | |
Approval of new build projects for modernisation of Power Units No. 1 and 6 of Surgutskaya-2 GRES of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of a new build project “Creation of reserve capacity for the storage of ash and slag waste by means of releasing the 2nd ash dump plot” of Berezovskaya GRES branch of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of a new build project “Modernisation of household drinking water supply to Surgutskaya-2 GRES branch of PJSC Unipro” | |
Approval of a new build project “Technical refurbishment of relay protection, automation and secondary switching circuits of 6 kV at power units of st. No. 1−6” for Surgutskaya-2 GRES branch of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of a new build project IPSu-1199 “Technical refurbishment of chimney stacks No. 1 and 2 refilling, painting” for Surgutskaya-2 GRES branch of PJSC Unipro | |
Approval of a new build project “Technical refurbishment of control tools with introduction of a full-scale industrial control system at the power unit of st. No. 5” for Surgutskaya-2 GRES branch of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of a new build project “Modernisation of the backup stator of the TVB-800−2EU3 turbogenerator with complete replacement of the winding” | |
Approval of a new build project “Technical refurbishment of control tools with introduction of a full-scale industrial control system at the power unit of st. No. 5” for Surgutskaya-2 GRES branch of Unipro PJSC | |
Financial and economic activities | Approval of factual KPIs of Unipro PJSC for 2018 |
Approval of financial indicators of Forecast 1 for 2019 | |
Approval of the Company’s KPIs for 2019 | |
Approval of financial indicators of Forecast 3 for 2018 | |
Review of the performance forecast for 2H 2019 | |
Review of main key financial targets of Unipro PJSC for 2020−2022 | |
Corporate governance | Approval of the Resolution on Remuneration to Employees of the Executive Office |
Introduction of amendments to the organisational structure of the executive office of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of the revised version of the Regulation on the Engineering Branch of Unipro PJSC | |
Approval of Unipro PJSC joining the Union of Designers of Ugra, a self-regulatory organisation in the field of architectural and construction design | |
Preliminary elaboration of all issues submitted for review to the Board of Directors | |
Subsidiaries | Defining the view of the Company (the Company’s representatives) on agenda items of General Shareholders' Meetings and meetings of the boards of directors of its subsidiaries |
Review of the issue of implementation of the Siberia Agroindustrial Park Project | |
Risk management | Review of quarterly corporate risk and probability reports |
Approval of lists of risk owners and risk coordinators | |
Approval of credit limits for the Company’s financial contractors | |
Approval of the limit on foreign currency operations and the approach to determining and estimating (1) the level of FX risk exposure and (2) the amount of FX risk exposure to be compared with the FX operations limit | |
Approval of commodity risks limits | |
Approval of the new edition of the Regulation on the Credit Risk Management of Unipro PJSC | |
Social investments | Approval of the Social Investment Programme of Unipro PJSC for 2019 |
Revision of terms and conditions of the voluntary medical insurance for dismissed employees of the Company | |
Approval of material terms and conditions of loan agreements with employees of Unipro PJSC branches for improvement of their housing situation | |
Safety/security | Review of health and safety work in H1 2019 |
Procurement | Review of quarterly reports on “improper procurements” |
Review of quarterly reports on purchases from “unreliable” suppliers | |
Approval of carrying out procurement procedures required for the main operations |
Remuneration and compensation to Company employees who are members of the Management Board are paid under employment contracts signed with them as fulltime employees, the terms and conditions of which are reviewed by the Appointment and Remuneration Committee.
The Regulation on the Management Board of Unipro PJSC does not provide for any special remunerations or compensations to employees acting as members of the Management Board.
In 2019, Company employees who were members of the Management Board received the following payments: salaries — RUB 178,358 thousand; bonuses — RUB 92,347 thousand; total — RUB 270,705 thousand.
The CEO is the Company’s sole executive body. The CEO is responsible for the Company’s daily operations according to the Articles of Association, resolutions of the General Shareholders' Meeting, the Board of Directors and the Management Board.
The CEO reports to the General Shareholders' Meeting and the Board of Directors. The CEO is elected by the Board of Directors by a majority of votes of those present at the Board meeting.
Maxim Shirokov was appointed the CEO by the Resolution of the Board of Directors dated 16 July 2012 and took office on 17 July 2012.
Remuneration and compensation payable to the CEO, including financial incentives, are described in the employment contract with the CEO, and the terms and conditions of such contract are approved by the Board of Directors of the Company. No other remunerations were paid to the CEO except those described in the employment contract. The amount of remuneration and compensation paid to the CEO in the reference period is included in the amount of remuneration and compensation paid to the Management Board.
The key duties of the Corporate Secretary are: ensuring proper interaction with the Company’s shareholders; coordinating actions by the Company to defend the rights and interests of shareholders, and supporting efficient operations by the Board of Directors.
In accordance with the resolution of the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC dated 28 March 2019 (Minutes No. 271 dated 29 March 2019), the functions of the Corporate Secretary are assigned to the Corporate Policy Department:
The following key tasks shall be assigned to the Corporate Policy Department:
The Corporate Policy Department shall operate under the Russian laws, the Unipro PJSC Articles of Association, Unipro PJSC Regulation on the Corporate Policy Department, Regulation on the Function Performing the Duties of the Corporate Secretary of Unipro PJSC, and other corporate documents of the Company and resolutions of the General Shareholders' Meeting and the Board of Directors of the Company.
The Head of the Corporate Policy Department shall be subordinate and accountable to the Company’s Board of Directors. The Head of the Corporate Policy Department shall be appointed and dismissed by the Company’s CEO upon approval of the Company’s Board of Directors.
In March 2019, the Board of Directors of Unipro PJSC approved the appointment of Ekaterina Giganova to the position of the Head of the Corporate Policy Department of Unipro PJSC (Minutes No. 271 dated 29 March 2019).
No conflicts of interest in the work of the Corporate Secretary were identified in 2019.
For independent objective evaluation of the quality of the Company’s financial (accounting) statements prepared under the Russian and international standards, Unipro PJSC annually engages an external auditor.
On 14 June 2019, the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting approved PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit JSC as an external auditor.
In 2019, the auditor completed the following works:
The amount of remuneration payable to the auditor is set by the Board of Directors. The resolution of the Board of Directors called for the following remuneration to be paid to the external auditor in 2019:
For independent objective evaluation of the quality of the Company’s financial (accounting) statements prepared under the Russian and international standards, Unipro PJSC annually engages an external auditor.
On 14 June 2019, the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting of Unipro PJSC approved PricewaterhouseCoopers Audit JSC as the Company’s external auditor.
The Company combines clear and efficient corporate governance rules with continuous information exchange with the outside audience.
In its work with shareholders and representatives of the investment community, Unipro PJSC prioritises the key task of increasing investment attractiveness, which it achieves by increasing the information transparency, implementing a stable dividend policy, and increasing the liquidity of its securities.
Unipro PJSC is one of the leading public joint stock companies in Russia by the number of its minority shareholders. The Company aims to ensure a constructive dialogue with its shareholders, avoiding bias in favour of any shareholder to the detriment of others.
All shareholders of Unipro PJSC enjoy equal and favourable conditions for exercising their rights in respect of the Company.
A total of 301,532 persons were registered in the shareholder register of Unipro PJSC and held securities on their personal share accounts as of 31 December 2019.*
More information on the rights of shareholders can be found in the Annual Report of Unipro PJSC for 2017.
Share capital structure of Unipro PJSC
Structure by type of personal account | 2018, units | 2019, units | 2018, % | 2019, % |
---|---|---|---|---|
Legal entities, including | 682 | 685 | 83.92 | 83.90 |
Uniper SE | - | - | 83.73 | 83.73 |
federal government | 3 | 3 | Less than 0.01 | Less than 0.01 |
public authorities of Russian constituent entities | 4 | 4 | Less than 0.01 | Less than 0.01 |
local authorities | - | - | - | - |
Private individuals | 299,761 | 300,256 | 1.38 | 1.37 |
Nominal holders | 12 | 11 | 14.69 | 14.72 |
Trustees | 4 | 4 | Less than 0.01 | Less than 0.01 |
Shares in shared ownership | 576 | 575 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
Unidentified person’s account | 0 | 1 | 0 | Less than 0.01 |
Total | 301,035 | 301,532 | 100 | 100 |
The Company did not issue any additional shares in 2019.
The authorised capital of Unipro PJSC is RUB 25,219,482,458.37. According to Unipro’s Articles of Association, 63,048,706,145 full and 44,925,042,874/49,130,625,974 fractional uncertificated registered ordinary shares are issued with a nominal value of RUB 0.40.
Unipro’s ordinary shares were listed in the first-tier quotation list of the Moscow Stock Exchange on 1 September 2014.
Outstanding shares
Number of outstanding shares, pcs. | 63,048,706,145 |
Nominal value of a share, RUB | 0.40 |
State registration number of the issue | 1−02−65104-D |
Date of state registration | 19 April 2007 |
Authorised capital, RUB | 25,219,482,458.37 |
ISIN code | RU000A0JNGA5 |
Ticker | UPRO |
Share capital structure of Unipro PJSC in 2019, %
Share price
Total market capitalisation of Unipro PJSC*
Date | Market price, RUB | Number of outstanding shares | Market capitalisation, RUB |
---|---|---|---|
31 December 2017 | 2.56 | 63,048,706,145 | 161,089,444,200 |
31 December 2018 | 2.56 | 63,048,706,145 | 161,089,444,200 |
31 December 2019 | 2.79 | 63,048,706,145 | 175,905,890,145 |
Developing its dividend policy, Unipro PJSC does not only comply in full with the Russian legal requirements, but also balances interests of its shareholders with the Company’s needs in development, boosting its investment appeal and capitalisation.
The Board of Directors approved on 11 March 2019 (Minutes No. 270 dated 12 March 2019) the Regulation on the Dividend Policy of the Company http://www.unipro.energy/management/documents/ developed according to the Russian law and the Articles of Association.
All of the Company’s shareholders enjoy equal and fair terms in receiving a share of Company profits through dividends, including:
Dividend history of the Company
Period, for which dividends were paid |
Dividends per share, RUB |
Number of shares |
Funds allocated to dividends, RUB |
Date of the resolution on payment of dividends |
---|---|---|---|---|
2005 |
|
8,210,830,760 | 92,207,629.43 | 21 April 2006 |
2006 | 0.004071 | 49,130,625,974 | 200,010,787.54 | 25 May 2007 |
Q1 2007 | 0.0030531 | 49,130,625,974 | 150,000,715.12 | 25 May 2007 |
2011 | 0.05787978807 | 63,048,706,145 | 3,649,245,749.81 | 29 June 2012 |
2012 | 0.289541278733806 | 63,048,706,145 | 18,255,203,000 | 27 June 2013 |
2013 | 0.300188653732372 | 63,048,706,145 | 18,926,506,217.51 | 26 June 2014 |
Based on retained earnings of previous years | 0.0793037685567795 | 63,048,706,145 | 5,000,000,000 | 26 June 2014 |
2014 | 0.2776423960677 | 63,048,706,145 | 17,504,993,843.32 | 26 June 2015 |
2015 | 0.197253780372175 | 63,048,706,145 | 12,436,595,634.86 | 15 June 2016 |
9M 2016 | 0.0727 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,180,481,826.37 | 8 December 2016 |
Based on retained earnings of previous years | 0.0431 | |||
2016 | 0.0936762922840 | 63,048,706,145 | 5,906,169,025.05 | 23 June 2017 |
Q1 2017 | 0.0173489836955 | 63,048,706,145 | 1,093,830,974.95 | 23 June 2017 |
9M 2017 | 0.1110252759795 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,000,000,000 | 7 December 2017 |
2017 | 0.1110252759795 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,000,000,000 | 14 June 2018 |
9M 2018 | 0.1110252759795 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,000,000,000 | 7 December 2018 |
2018 | 0.1110252759795 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,000,000,000 | 14 June 2019 |
9M 2019 | 0.1110252759795 | 63,048,706,145 | 7,000,000,000 | 3 December 2019 |
Based on the Company’s performance in 2008−2010, the General Shareholders' Meeting made the decision to not pay out dividends.
In 2019, based on a resolution of the Annual General Shareholders' Meeting, dividends for 2018 were declared in the amount of RUB 7.0 bln. The Extraordinary General Shareholders' Meeting held on 3 December 2019 resolved to pay interim dividends in the amount of RUB 7.0 bln for nine months of 2019.
As of the date of approval of the Annual Report, the declared dividends for 9 months of 2019 were paid in full, except for amounts which were unpaid due to reasons beyond the Company’s control (absence of accurate and necessary address data or bank details of the person entitled to receive dividends).
Since 2009, Unipro’s registrar is R.O.S.T. Registrar JSC, a professional participant of the stock market, maintaining the register based on license No. 045−13976−000001 dated 3 December 2002.
Since December 2016, R.O.S.T. Registrar JSC has been a part of Independent Registrar Company R.O.S.T. Group, comprising the leaders of the registrar services market.
Detailed information on Independent Registrar Company R.O.S.T. JSC can be found in the “Contact Information” section.
Due to the expiration of the registry maintenance agreement between Unipro PJSC and Independent Registrar Company R.O.S.T. JSC, the Company carried out procurement procedures under the Regulation on Procurement of Unipro PJSC. The winner of the procurement procedures was VTB Registrar JSC. By the decision of the Board of Directors dated 10 December 2019 (Minutes No. 283 dated 12 December 2019), VTB Registrar JSC was approved as the registry holder of Unipro PJSC.
VTB Registrar JSC will commence its functions of the registry holder from the moment the registry is transferred from Independent Registrar Company R.O.S.T. JSC.*
Detailed information on VTB Registrar JSC can be found in the “Contact Information” section.
In 2019, Unipro PJSC approved the Information Policy*, the main purpose of which is to ensure the highest possible degree of trust of shareholders, potential investors, contractors and other stakeholders in the Company. To this end, these persons are provided with the possibility of free and unhindered access to information on the Company’s activities in an amount sufficient for them to make informed decisions regarding the Company and its securities.
The main objectives of the Information Policy include the following:
Information disclosure principles of Unipro PJSC*
When disclosing information, the Company is guided by current laws of the Russian Federation, the requirements of Moscow Exchange PJSC, the Regulation on the Information Disclosure, as well as other requirements and regulatory acts.
Main communication tools for information disclosure:
In 2019, within its informational policy the Company conducted a number of events for interacting with its shareholders and investors:
In 2019, 205 enquiries were received from shareholders in total (87 electronic and 118 written).
Structure of shareholder enquiries in 2019, %
Compliance is an integral part of the corporate governance system at Unipro PJSC. The Company values its business reputation and corporate culture, which have been built for many years, and operates exclusively under the applicable law, in accordance with the principles of good business conduct, high standards of business ethics and professional conduct.
The efficiency of the compliance system is based on personal responsibility of each employee. That is why, each employee of Unipro PJSC, regardless of the position, shall follow the rules of the Code of Corporate Conduct. It is a fundamental document which sets out the established rules that are mandatory for all employees of the Company.
The Code of Corporate Governance provides for training (e-learning) once every two years, as well as upon hire of new employees.
Unipro PJSC has a compliance risk management system: compliance risks are assessed for the Company’s activities, resulting in the creation of a risk map with the degree of probability of their materialisation and a set of measures to mitigate them. Further, based on the results of these actions, a detailed risk assessment report is prepared with a list of practical measures and specific deadlines for their implementation.
In addition, with participation of the senior management of Unipro PJSC, a separate antitrust risk assessment is conducted on an annual basis.
One of the main principles for responsible business practices of Unipro PJSC is counteraction to corruption. The Company recognises and monitors the compliance with local regulatory acts on corruption, and also implements a number of additional measures in terms of countering involvement in corruption activities. In particular, Unipro PJSC has organised a hotline for informing on any facts or prerequisites for the occurrence of a corruption situation, which is available to both the Company’s employees and partners.
In 2019, an audit of the compliance management system of Unipro PJSC was conducted by a well-known international audit company (hereinafter referred to as the Audit Company). The Audit Company conducted an audit to verify the suitability, implementation procedure and performance of the group-wide compliance system.
As part of the operating effectiveness testing, the Audit Company performed walkthroughs and sample testing of the compliance ICS controls, the significant measures identified in the audit as well as the measures mentioned in the compliance management system (CMS) description:
The Board of Directors of the Company reviewed and took note of the Audit Report of the Compliance Management System on 10 December 2019 (Minutes No. 283 of 12 December 2019).
In 2019, the compliance officer received more than 10 requests from employees of the Company, including requests in the field of potential conflicts of interest and requests on participation in events and congratulations to partners on memorable dates. Based on the results of the consideration of these appeals, all situations were assessed in terms of compliance with the principles of the Code of Corporate Conduct of Unipro PJSC, and the employees were offered the correct procedure.
In order to eliminate the risk of situations that could harm the interests of the Company and employees, the compliance officer pays special attention to appeals related to potential conflicts of interest. At the same time, the Company welcomes the continuity of generations and preservation of the dynasty of power engineers. Thus, the Company adheres to the position that each case of a potential conflict of interest is unique and should be considered individually, but additional control measures can be taken.
In 2020, Unipro PJSC will continue to work on development and improvement of the CMS, and will adopt a number of additional regulatory documents governing anti-corruption processes to conduct separate training and consulting for the Company’s employees on compliance with anti-corruption requirements.
Effective risk management is one of the most important prerequisites for sustainability of Unipro PJSC business.
The current integrated risk management system is aimed at the timely identification of risks, as well as the implementation of measures to manage them. The Company regularly reviews the planning, controlling and reporting processes in order to improve the efficiency and predictability of its financial position.
In order to reduce the negative impact of potential hazards and to use favourable opportunities, Unipro PJSC operates the Corporate Risk Management System (CRMS).
The key elements of the risk management system are the Company’s strategy, internal regulations, including the Regulation on the CRMS, controlling, planning, the internal control and audit system, risks and opportunities reports, as well as operation of the Risk and Finance Committee.
Scheduled reports are provided on a quarterly basis. Moreover, the Company establishes a procedure for compiling and reviewing urgent reports in case of emerging material risks.
Reports on the most material risks and opportunities are laid before Unipro PJSC Audit Committee and the Board of Directors for consideration.
The Risk and Finance Committee of Unipro comprises heads and representatives of the key business units who are in charge of operational, legal and financial activities.
The committee ensures implementation of the credit and market risks management strategy, prepares recommendations for the Company’s executive bodies on risk management, reviews and approves risks and probabilities report.
CRMS organisational structure
At Unipro PJSC, the effectiveness of the CRMS is assessed as follows:
In the reference period, the Risk and Finance Committee paid special attention to monitoring the risks of the project to restore Power Unit No. 3 of Berezovskaya GRES, to the progress of fire hazard reduction recommendations issued during (Uni)performance inspections, as well as to monitoring the development and mitigation of the risk of BGRES Power Unit No. 3 CSA Unilateral Repudiation by capacity buyers.
With the existing risk management system, the Company ensures that risks are timely detected, estimated, managed, and controlled.
However, some risks may still emerge that are currently unknown or insignificant. Such risks may negatively affect the future performance of Unipro PJSC.
In 2019, the Treasury Operations and Risk Management Department focused on organising the process to identify and assess risks as well as to develop corresponding preventive measures with regard to projects aimed to implement the TPP modernisation programme, as well as on updating the insurance policies for construction and installation works under the Berezovskaya GRES Power Unit No. 3 recovery project with the significant reduction of the property franchise.
The insurance coverage for property damage and losses from business interruption in 2019 was renewed and expanded in respect of cybernetic risks and losses from employee disloyalty; the list of insured events was also expanded (in particular, consequences of terrorist acts and sabotage were included in the number of insured property losses and business damage).
Major risk management efforts in 2019 were directed at coordinating interactions of the Company’s divisions and their participation in the identification and mitigation of risks.
In the coming year, Unipro PJSC will continue its ongoing optimisation and improvement of the CRMS. The persistent task is to maintain the risk management function in terms of risk owners' influence on the quality of risk management processes at a high level.
Besides, in 2020, it is planned to optimise the insurance terms and purchase additional coverage for contracted works performed during main production and design activities (overhauls, technical refurbishment, modernisation).
Dynamics of risk materiality in 2019
Risk materiality level* at year-end 2019
Most material net risks of Unipro PJSC at year end 2019
Risk category | Risk subcategory and preventive measures |
Assessment of materiality and risk dynamics |
---|---|---|
Market risks |
Commodity risks
The main sector exposed to the commodity risk in the day-ahead market
(DAM), where pricing takes place on an arm’s length principle. Thus far, excess
capacity has been formed in the energy system as a result of commissioning
of capacities by generators under investment programmes and zero growth
of electric power consumption taken into account during the development
of investment programmes. This fact has changed the flow volumes in the
energy system and strengthened influence on the DAM price regarding the
grid transmission capacity, grid maintenance, regional supply and demand
balances. Nevertheless, the Company utilises all methods provided by the
Wholesale Market Rules to increase its revenues from electric power sales in the free market sector.
|
|
Currency
The Company minimises the foreign exchange risk by hedging future liabilities in foreign currency.
|
||
Credit risks |
Unipro PJSC manages credit risks by assessing fair practices of counterparties,
by setting and controlling limits on transactions with financial institutions.
In its operations, the Company has to supply electricity to certain regions of the
Russian Federation, which fail to pay for consumption in full or in due time and
increase their receivables to Unipro PJSC.
|
|
Financial risks |
Tax risks
Tax risks of the Company are caused by:
Tax risks affect the Company activities to the same extent as those of any other
players in the wholesale electricity market, which is typical for conducting
business in the Russian Federation.
The Company closely follows-up on trends in changes to the tax legislation and
law-enforcement practices related to tax cases in order to timely incorporate these
changes into its tax obligations.
|
|
Operational risks |
Asset-related operational risks
Business interruption risks
This risk is caused by any factors that can lead to business interruption.
Meanwhile, this risk includes both a direct stoppage in production resulting from
physical damage of the equipment, and a consequential business interruption
resulting from material loss at an outside facility that does not belong to the
Company, and is not maintained or managed thereby.
The main factors when assessing the possible losses include turbine oil catching
fire, damage of the turbine wheelspace, explosion of the boiler at ignition,
explosion in the chemical water treatment ammonia storage, washout of the water
gathering pond dam, etc.
In order to reduce the probability of adverse effects of such negative events, the
Company takes the following measures:
|
|
Asset-related project risks
Risks associated with Berezovskaya GRES Power Unit No. 3 recovery
A fire outbreak in the boiler house of Power Unit No. 3 of Berezovskaya
GRES, that caused damage to the boiler, occurred on 1 February 2016. The
fire was extinguished. Power Unit No. 3 of Berezovskaya GRES is currently
under repair. There is a risk that the actual date of putting Power Unit No. 3
of Berezovskaya GRES into operation may differ from the scheduled one. The
factors of this risk include unscheduled works (design and planning flaws,
remedial works, accidents, etc.) and delays by contractors.
The Company pays maximum attention to managing this risk through careful
monitoring of the repair process. Moreover, the Company partially insured
risks related to the project “Recovery of Power Unit No. 3 at Berezovskaya
GRES”.
|
||
Legal risks
One of the risk groups significantly affecting the activities of Unipro PJSC
are legal risks, i.e. the risks of adverse effects as a result of any misuse
or misunderstanding of legal rules when making or implementing any
managerial decisions and carrying out activities, or due to a significant
change in any legal rules during the performance of a transaction or managerial action versus the period when such transaction has been
agreed upon or such managerial decision has been made. Generally, such
risks are borne by the majority of businesses operating in Russia and affect
the Company’s activities to the same extent as those of any other players
in the wholesale electricity market. Since the Company does not operate in foreign markets, legal risks are only described with regard to its domestic
market.
The Company’s core business activity covers generation and sales of electric and heat power, thus, legal risks related to the regulation of this
area may have a significant impact on the Company’s situation.
The enforcement of industry regulatory laws and regulations is aimed
at deregulating the electric power and capacity market, transitioning to market pricing of electric power and capacity, creating a legal framework
for deregulated electric power and capacity market operations, developing
a competitive environment in the sector of electric and heat power
generation and sales, creating mechanisms of flexible and balanced tariff
regulation that would ensure the availability of products and services for
consumers as well as a reasonable level of revenue and return on the
Company’s investments.
Another important aspect for the Unipro PJSC activities is self-regulation
exercised through Association NP Market Council and its activities
related to setting detailed rules of operations in the wholesale market
for electricity and power, approving regulations and standard contracts
regulating such activities.
Taking into account that the government regulation in Russia tends to change frequently and fast, it cannot be guaranteed that the government
would not cancel market deregulation and transition to the free market or would suspend reforms of the heat power market, or change — in any way
that would be unfavourable for generation companies — its approaches to such reforms, retreat from the balanced approach to various types of tariff
regulation in the industry, which, in its turn, may have an adverse impact on the Company’s activities and present a significant legal risk associated with
the Company’s core business activity.
Moreover, the independence of the Russian judicial system and the
reliability of mechanisms protecting it against any economic, political and
social impact have not been tested enough in practice yet. The judicial
system suffers the shortage of competent staff and lack of funding, as well as an overload due to a great number of court cases pending. The
enforcement of judgment may prove to be difficult.
Frequent reforms to the organisation of courts and amendments to the procedural
legislation, including the matters of competence of the court and its jurisdiction
over a case, together with changes in approaches applied by courts to any
particular category of cases, bring even more incertitude to the judicial system
operations. The said factors make it impossible to predict the outcome of court
proceedings in Russia and guarantee the efficiency of remedies. Moreover,
sometimes claims may be brought to courts or administrative authorities, or a prosecution may be initiated for some political, competitive, administrative or other
reasons rather than on legal grounds. Such actions can also be initiated against
Unipro PJSC with no guarantee of impartial trial.
The Company carefully and regularly studies changes in judicial practice related
to its activities so as to ensure their timely consideration and take them into
account in any then-current proceedings held with participation thereof. The
judicial practice is analysed at the level of both the Supreme Court of the Russian
Federation and commercial courts; the Company also examines the legal position
of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on certain law enforcement
matters.
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Political and regulatory risks
The Russian wholesale electricity market regularly undergoes changes, which
affect both the structure of the electricity market and relations between its
participants.
According to the Company’s estimates, the important industry-specific risk that
may significantly affect Unipro PJSC is the risk of change in functioning rules
for the electricity and capacity market. Increase in the share of the regulated
component in the wholesale market negatively affects the Company’s yield
because it reduces the share of more efficient sales at non-regulated (free) prices.
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Most material net risks of Unipro PJSC at year end 2019
In Russia, Unipro PJSC has the reputation of a leading insurer, whose experience is exemplary for the market.
The Company forms its insurance coverage according to the corporate Insurance Policy of Uniper SE under the supervision of corporate insurance broker Uniper Risk Consulting GmbH (URC).
The risk insurance function in Uniper SE is responsible for the implementation of measures related to the solution of insurance tasks within the perimeter of entire Uniper Group.
Together with the risk owners (legal entities, including Unipro PJSC) and the responsible functions of the Group, the insurance function determines whether it is necessary to use insurance contracts concluded by Uniper Group, coordinated programmes, regional or individual insurance contracts to cover the risks considered. Insurance tasks are solved taking into account commercial, legal, and regional aspects.
The insurance function is performed by achieving the following goals:
The Company carries out its activities in strict compliance with the requirements of the anti-corruption laws of the Russian Federation, recognises anti-corruption procedures and controls compliance therewith.
For this purpose, the Company takes actions to identify, prevent and combat corrupt practices, provides support to law enforcement authorities in the identification and investigation of facts of corruption, takes necessary measures to keep and transfer documents and information on corruption offences to law enforcement authorities. For instance, together with law enforcement authorities, the Company identified and prevented illegal cash transfer from a representative of a commercial organisation to a Company employee as a bribe to win a tender for suppliers and get awarded with a service contract; corresponding criminal proceedings were initiated.