Wintershall Dea responds to announcement of legal action by Deutsche Umwelthilfe

Wintershall Dea received mail from representatives of the environmental organisation Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V. (DUH) on 3 September 2021. In the letter, the DUH calls on our company to sign a cease-and-desist declaration. Similar letters were also sent to companies of the automotive industry.

Wintershall Dea does not see that DUH has a right to such a declaration. A response to that effect was sent to the DUH today.

“Wintershall Dea does not have any refineries or service stations. As Europe’s leading independent natural gas producer, Wintershall Dea supports the CO₂ emission targets the European Union has set. We contribute to more climate protection with our natural gas by replacing coal-fired power generation with more climate-friendly natural gas and enabling production of hydrogen from natural gas. In this way, our company combines sustainable technologies for protecting the climate with a reliable and secure supply of energy in Europe – quickly and in an affordable way,” said Mario Mehren, CEO of Wintershall Dea, at the national congress of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) in Berlin on 15 September.

Climate change can be stopped only by a joint effort and the whole international community working together. Wintershall Dea is actively helping to tackle this task, which is one that faces society as a whole. The current energy transition towards a low-carbon economy requires political changes and demands difficult decisions from consumers. In any case, however, an adequate and reliable energy supply must be ensured as part of the provision of public services..

“Renewable energies alone will not be able to fully cover the world’s growing energy demand in the foreseeable future. This challenge can be overcome only by a clever mix of renewable and low-carbon energies. Wintershall Dea makes an important contribution to ensuring a reliable and secure energy supply in Europe – at various levels: with natural gas, climate-friendly production and ambitious climate targets,” added Mehren.

Wintershall Dea defined clear and measurable targets in 2020. Its goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in exploration and production of natural gas and crude oil (scope 1 and 2 emissions for own-operated and non-own-operated activities relative to its share of production) to net zero by 2030. In addition, our operations meet the strictest environmental, health, safety and quality standards. Wintershall Dea also invests in forward-looking projects such as CCS and hydrogen.