Progress in 2023

Planet

Creating an energy system that sustains and protects our planet is one of the greatest challenges we face.

Biodiversity loss and global environmental change, including climate change, are the defining issues of our time, with direct and profound impacts on societies and economies.

Our primary business focus is energy and we recognize the global challenge to ensure energy is delivered sustainably.

Energy mix

Over time, we’ve strategically diversified our portfolio through both organic growth and acquisitions, intentionally moving from a heavy reliance on oil to embracing lower carbon alternatives. Our business, once predominantly oil-based, has evolved significantly. We now emphasize gas and power trading, a shift clearly illustrated in the historical data figure on our traded volumes by product type. The declining oil versus non-oil ratio in our trades highlights a consistent trend towards reducing the proportion of oil products in our total trade volume.

The transition towards more sustainable energy sources is crucial for the future of our energy infrastructure. We firmly believe in the ongoing importance of gas within this mix, given its role as a more environmentally friendly option compared to traditional high-carbon fuels and its reliability in supporting the integration of renewable energy sources.

Historical percentage of traded volumes by product type

Oil vs. non-oil ratio

CO2 intensity of commodities traded

Besides the percentages of products in our trading portfolio, we also focus on the carbon footprint of these products. The figure presented below illustrates the carbon intensity of the energy commodities we trade, measured in grams of CO2 equivalent (g CO2e) per megajoule (MJ) of energy. This evaluation encompasses our portfolio of traded energy products, which consist of oil, gas, power, and coal, as well as associated products like carbon certificates. Please note that our trading activities in metals are not included in this analysis. The trend depicted in the figure is downward, indicating a shift away from traditional fuels towards greener alternatives. This includes an increased emphasis on trading in gas, power, carbon certificates and other clean energy products, aligning with our commitment to reducing carbon intensity in our energy portfolio.

While the trend of CO2 intensity is decreasing, the annual change in our trading CO2 intensity does not always show a consistent decrease, which is attributed to the natural fluctuation in trading behaviours in the evolving energy system across various markets in different years. Nevertheless, the change shows the enhanced carbon efficiency of our trading portfolio, aligning with our global commitment to achieving net zero emissions, while also ensuring global access to energy.

Beyond broadening our trading portfolio and transitioning towards more environmentally friendly energy sources, we remain committed to fostering the development of innovative low-carbon energy solutions. For examples of companies we have supported in this venture throughout 2023, please refer to our Partner Profiles.

Carbon management & carbon neutrality

As we progress towards our 2050 net-zero goal, we continue taking significant steps by decreasing emissions and channeling investments into the low-carbon sector and nature-based solutions. These efforts are crucial in aiding the global shift towards net zero, as well as advancing our company’s own net-zero trajectory. We are dedicated to investing in the energy transition and are proactively managing and reducing carbon emissions within our portfolio of investment companies. Additionally, we have committed to offsetting all of our Scope 1 and 2 emissions for the year 2023, underscoring our dedication to environmental stewardship and sustainable business practices.

2023 CO2 emissions

Over the years, we have been tracking and disclosing our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions footprint, and making improvements in data collection and our approach. In 2023, we took a significant step forward by forming a partnership with Validere, a leading emissions management software provider, supported by a highly skilled team of GHG experts. This collaboration is focused on digitizing and verifying our emissions calculations, thereby refining the efficiency and accuracy of our GHG reporting processes.

Our 2023 CO2 emissions across Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 (Categories 6, 8 and 9):

* For one asset we have used the previous year’s values (Scope 1 – 64 Tonnes Co2e and Scope 2- 98 Tonnes Co2e) due to a delay in receiving the data and no material increase in activity for the asset. This will be updated when actual data is available.

✔ The marked figures were reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers SA.

2023 CO2 emissions in scope 3 breakdown:

✔ The marked figures were reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers SA.

Commentary on changes: 2022 vs 2023

In 2022, we changed our reporting from an operational control basis to an equity approach, and provide a comparison vs. 2023 on an equity basis only. Asset emissions are calculated based on Mercuria’s percentage equity share of each asset and investment. Equity share gives a better reflection of our business model compared to the operational control basis as we are not primarily an operator of assets.

Yearly comparison of global GHG footprint on an equity basis in tonnes of CO2e:

Comparison of Scopes 1 and 2: 2022 vs. 2023

The figure above illustrates the changes of Scopes 1, 2 and 3 from 2022 to 2023. Scope 1 emissions increased from 505,728 Tonnes CO2e in 2022 to 713,338 Tonnes CO2e in 2023 and Scope 2 emissions increased from 77,295 Tonnes CO2e to 123,317 Tonnes CO2e, primarily attributable to the investment in several new businesses.

Comparison of Scope 3: 2022 vs. 2023

Chartering emissions

Scope 3 emissions increased from 2,946,703 Tonnes CO2e in 2022 to 3,298,421 Tonnes CO2e in 2023. In 2023, we increased our time chartering business by ~140%. This accounts for the majority of the increase in our Scope 3 emissions. In addition, the year 2023 witnessed significant impacts on ocean traffic, for example as a result of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, reduced capacity in the Panama Canal, led to rerouting of vessels requiring substantially more fuel and thus more emissions.

In 2023, we commenced tracking and benchmarking our vessels’ emissions through Maritech Services Limited’s platform, Sea. This is done via a direct line of communication with ship-owners, to obtain actual fuel consumption data, and emissions are calculated using ISO emission factors.

Other Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions related to business travel has increased from 4,703 Tonnes CO2e to 6,775 Tonnes CO2e from 2022 to 2023 respectively. This rise in emissions from our business flights is directly attributable to the expansion of our global operations. Our emissions from pipeline transportation have decreased from 736,455 Tonnes CO2e to 632,499 Tonnes CO2e from 2022 to 2023 respectively.

Basis of reporting

The aim of this section is to outline and describe the methodology and scope that serve as the basis of preparation for the calculation and reporting of our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) footprint for the year 2023. The scope of the report includes the Trading business and Assets held at Mercuria Energy Group Ltd, as well as assets held at Mercuria Energy Group Holdings Ltd level.

Background

For several years, we have actively measured and reported our GHG footprint, consistently seeking enhancements in our process. We continue to improve data quality, processes around data collection and calculations when better data and approaches are available. In 2023, we advanced our efforts by partnering with Validere, a third-party emissions management software provider, backed by a team of qualified experts. This collaboration was aimed at digitizing and validating our emission calculations and streamlining our   GHG reporting across multiple assets.

In addition to partnering with Validere, we also partnered with Maritech Services Limited by using their software – Sea. Sea offers a digitalized method for us to record, track and validate our voyage charter carbon emissions. This allowed us to enhance our underlying data collection methods and compare against IMO emissions reduction targets.

The following basis of preparation was employed for our GHG emissions calculations in 2023:

Guidance and Emission factors

We adhere to the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard, as the guiding standard for our emissions. Given the diversity of our activities and investments, we have considered the principles from various guidance (e.g., IPIECA for oil and gas) for the respective activity. We continue to review and update our approach as new guidance becomes available.

Our approach, in order of priority, consists of the following steps:

  • Reported Emissions: We report on emissions data reported in regulatory filings for our assets.
  • Primary Data Collection: We collect primary data (e.g., actual consumption figures from invoices and management reports) to quantify emissions.
  • Estimation with Derived Figures: When neither reported emissions nor primary data are available, we estimate emissions by applying derived figures to activity-based data.

Our emission factors are derived mainly from IPCC, ISO, DEFRA, EPA, and IMO. We have updated these factors to reflect the most recent publication versions and have also had them independently verified by Validere for accuracy and reliability.

Organizational footprint

We report our organizational footprint based on the GHG Protocol equity share. Asset emissions are calculated based on Mercuria’s percentage equity share of each asset. Equity share gives a better reflection of our business model compared to the operational control basis as we are not primarily an operator of assets.

The assets we own and operate cover a wide range or energy and energy-transition related assets. This includes terminals and warehousing for storage, bunkering vessels, renewable fuel refineries, gas and power assets and mining activities.

Scope of reporting

For the scope of this report, our focus is on assets and activities identified to have the largest impact in terms of emissions. This includes activities that involve combustion of fossil fuels and processes prone to atmospheric emissions through venting or similar processes. The primary sources include oil and gas production, biofuel refining, mining and transportation activities. Assets in the development stage, deemed to have a negligible GHG footprint, have been excluded from our analysis. We remain committed to periodically reevaluating their significance and will incorporate these assets into our reporting scope as they progress and develop further.

On an equity share basis, we have accounted for emissions from the chosen activities and investments in companies where our ownership exceeds 20%. The rationale for selecting this threshold is twofold: obtaining accurate data becomes considerably more difficult below this equity level and stakes smaller than this threshold contributes insignificantly to the overall emissions footprint.

These assets and investments include three bio-refining, two mining, six upstream oil and gas, one warehouse, one alternative fuel, four terminals, a bunkering and freight businesses. The emissions also include Mercuria offices, data centres, transportation via ship or pipeline and business flights for Mercuria employees.

Scopes

The following is reported in the GHG protocol scopes:

Scope 1 – Direct emissions

  • Mercuria assets, activities and companies we invest in: direct emissions from operational activities, which includes stationary and mobile combustion, flaring and venting and other related operational emissions.
  • Direct emissions from shipping activities performed by vessels owned by Mercuria for marine fuel bunkering.

 Scope 2 – Indirect energy imports

  • Mercuria assets: purchased electricity, steam, heating and other energy imports.
  • Mercuria offices and data centres: electricity and gas purchased.

Scope 3 – Selected categories

  • Category 6: Upstream – Business travel
    • Reported For Mercuria’s business flights.
  • Category 8: Upstream – Leased assets
    • Reported for Mercuria’s time chartering of vessels.
  • Category 9: Downstream – Transportation and Distribution
    • Reported for transportation of traded commodities via gas pipeline or marine vessel.
      Further details on approach
      • We adhere to the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
      • The gases included in the calculations are those in the Kyoto basket of gases – the largest contributors are carbon dioxide and methane.
      • Where possible, we have utilized supporting documents from the assets and companies we have invested in to determine emissions based on actual consumption data, or we have used GHG reports created for regulatory purposes. However, due to the widespread distribution of emission sources, challenges in data collection, or the limited scope of regulatory reports, we have occasionally resorted to estimating emissions using production or activity data. For these estimations, our centralized approach employs common emission factors and Global Warming Potentials (GWPs) as outlined in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report.
      • In addition to Scope 2 emissions from our assets and companies we have invested in, the scope includes emissions from our offices and data centres. In specific, we have included electricity and gas consumption from offices with a minimum of 15 employees.
      • A fundamental part of our operations involves the trading of commodities among various parties, which necessitates the global transportation of physical goods across markets. This activity is directly related to Scope 3 emissions from categories 6 (Business Travel), 8 (Upstream Leaased Assets), and 9 (Downstream Transportation and Distribution). Therefore, we have incorporated these Scope 3 emission categories into our emission reporting since they are most pertinent to our business model, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of our environmental impact.

       

        • Category 6: Upstream – Business travel.
          • We report on our business air travel emissions. Our travel agency stores details of all business flights. Our business travel emissions are then calculated directly from this data by a third-party, Atmosfair. Atmosfair is a third-party non-profit carbon footprinting & offsetting organization. They use our flight data to calculate our emissions using DEFRA emission factors.
        • Category 8: Upstream – Leased assets.
          • Our vessel chartering business is growing. We charter vessels on time charter, and consequently charter them to third parties for their own use. Emissions are calculated based on the total actual consumption of fuel across the period of the time charter during the year.
        • Category 9: Downstream – Transportation and distribution.
          • We have accounted for the primary sources of our downstream emissions, focusing on the maritime transport of commodities and the conveyance of gas through pipelines.
          • Shipping emissions: The emissions include voyage charters for commodities transported using actual fuel consumption. This year we started using Sea, Maritech Services Limited’s platform for our shipping emissions. Sea contacts ship-owners directly to report actual fuel consumption, which Sea uses to calculate emissions using ISO emission factors. For some voyages where fuel data is not available, we have estimated emissions based on the distance and equivalent vessel type of other vessels reported on Sea.
          • Pipeline: For gas transportation by pipeline, we estimate losses (from leakages or usage e.g., to power compressors by the pipeline operator) by applying IPCC emission factors based on the volumes transported during the year.
        • In preparing this report, we have evaluated other Scope 3 emission categories. However, our distinct role in the value chain, primarily as an intermediary facilitating the exchange and temporary storage of a diverse array of commodities, sets us apart. Our unique position spanning various value chains across different industries without being a direct consumer or a major producer, has led us to exclude additional categories from our current reporting scope. The significant challenges in acquiring appropriate data also play a role in this decision.

      We are committed to staying abreast of evolving methodologies and guidance, aiming to refine our reporting practices in future periods.

      https://www.atmosfair.de/en/

            Independent practitioner's limited assurance report

            Read the PWC limited assurance report on selected non-financial information published in this section of the Mercuria CSR website for 2023

            Environmental releases

            During the 2023 calendar year there was two occurrences where our operations (inclusive of both Mercuria’s entities and contractors working on our behalf) were responsible for unauthorized releases into the environment which mandated involvement of authorities at a state, federal or national level.  Instances where the responsibility for a release, as assessed by authorities, was not attributed to Mercuria or its contractors are not included. 

            In all cases where Mercuria or its contractors are involved in a situation where there is a release event, regardless of fault, as a standard operating procedure the involved operations will take whatever appropriate actions are safely available to them to minimize and stop the source of the release.  Our operations will then ensure that appropriate resources for spill clean-up are requested for any containment, recovery or remediation efforts that may be needed.  Concurrently, as appropriate, our operations will also look to ensure that governing authorities have been properly notified irrespective of potential fault.   

            None of the release events resulted in any injuries or other hazardous situations such as fires or explosions.  For any clean-up activities mandated to Mercuria’s entities or contractors, those efforts were conducted to the satisfaction of the overseeing authorities.  As a matter of standard practice, subsequent to any significant event, we ensure that a follow-up investigation is conducted to assess the contributing factors that caused the event with the aim of identifying preventative measures that might help guard against similar recurrence. 

            Owing to our HSE related compliance errors, we paid fines in the amount of USD 14,960 during the 2023 calendar year.  By appropriately taking responsibility for our failures we worked with authorities to reach settlement agreements with no other restrictions or covenants placed upon our business. 

            * Exclusive of any spill events where another party had primary responsibility for the event or where notification was given to state federal or national authorities as a courtesy – but was not required.

            For clarity concerning these statistics, authorized / permitted discharges, and instances where notification to authorities was not mandated are not included as part of our statistics, or instances where authorities determined that Mercuria or its contractor were not at fault are not included Further, only penalties paid directly to state, federal or national authorities which were assessed for non-compliant health, safety or environmental issues are reported Taxes or other regulatory fees that might also be paid to authorities are not included, nor are any other potentially related expenses incurred for repairs or corrective work, or amounts that might be paid to local agencies, or counterparties or service providers in relation to an event. 

            HUB Ocean partnership

            Mercuria and HUB Ocean have had an important strategic partnership since May of 2021.

            HUB Ocean is based in Oslo, Norway and is a non-profit, technological foundation that is dedicated to unlocking and sharing ocean data. It is the first thematic Centre dedicated to the ocean.

            HUB Ocean’s core product, the Ocean Data Platform (ODP), allows aggregation of unprecedented volumes of diverse ocean data sets. ODP itself is a global, open-source and integrated digital data ecosystem providing new and faster insight for the ocean we need and want.

            This partnership brings many synergies by combining Mercuria’s expertise in the global maritime industry with HUB Ocean’s expertise as an international provider of market-leading ocean and maritime technological solutionsFor example, experts from Hub Ocean and Mercuria participated together in the Summit of the Villars Institute, a Swiss foundation that aims to accelerate the transition to a Net Zero and Nature Positive economy through intergenerational collaboration and systems leadership.

            In 2023, Minerva Bunkering sponsored Citizen Sea, a HUB Ocean app that seafarers and other users can use to upload photos of images of the ocean, along with geographic location data, and share it with researchers and scientists through the ODP. This provides access of real-time, remote data to researchers and scientists to map wildlife populations and identify migration patterns, as well as study the effects of marine waste on ecosystems. For NGOs, it can help them raise awareness about endangered marine wildlife and high-waste areas. Citizen Sea is already available on Apple Store and Google Play.

            “We want to give them the ability to share their observations and help change the fate of the oceans. We know from our employees that there is a very strong wish to contribute to marine sustainability”

            Victoria Attwood Scott / Head of Corporate Responsibility & Compliance, Mercuria

            To change the fate of the ocean, we need to harness the power of Citizen Sea. Achieving ocean health is a massive collaborative effort that will require giving ocean citizens a greater say.

            Read more about HUB Ocean in their Partner Profile.

            Earth Innovation Institute partnership

            Mercuria is proud to be partnering with The Earth Innovation Institute (EII). The EII helps states and provinces in tropical forest regions to shift to low-emission, nature-positive, socially-inclusive development. EII adopts a comprehensive, long-term strategy to achieve this goal, focusing on the idea that increasing awareness across different sectors within states or provinces about the benefits of this shift can stimulate the necessary collective action and innovative public policies.

            EII’s global team of 35 experts in rural development, carbon markets, geospatial analysis and public policy has helped fifteen states and provinces in Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Peru begin their transitions to climate- and nature-friendly development. EII was chosen as the lead partner by ten states and provinces in these countries who are members of the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force to support the participatory design of low-emission development plans and investment strategies.

            EII, incorporated as a non-profit charity in California, is one of the co-authors of the regional, “jurisdictional” approach to low-emission development and is the leading organization globally supporting state-wide REDD+ programs to provide high-integrity verified forest carbon credits to the rapidly growing carbon market. Its analysis, publications and positions are frequently covered by major media outlets such as the Economist, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and BBC.

            In 2023, Mercuria’s funding continues to support the work of EII with multiple states in Brazil that helped define a legal framework for States to develop jurisdictional programs to stop deforestation. This included working with multiple law firms and academics to understand how States can access carbon finance for their actions to reduce deforestation. It also included capacity building for Amazon States to understand how to implement such programs.

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