Uniper

27Laggard· Provisional

0 followersIntegrated utility·Düsseldorf, Germany·Founded 2016

www.uniper.energy

German gas and power company majority-owned by the state after a 2022 bailout; sold coal plant Datteln IV in late 2025 but is planning 2 GW of new gas-fired capacity while the government works toward reprivatisation.

27/100

Laggard· Provisional

ClimateTicker Green Score · how it's calculated

Greenwashing risk: highData confidence: medium

Why it's on ClimateTicker

Uniper is a German integrated utility whose core business remains fossil gas generation, trading, and LNG — making it a high-emitting incumbent despite headline emission reductions driven mainly by reduced coal output. The company publishes a Climate Transition Plan and has an internal 55%-by-2030 Scope 1/2 target, but holds no SBTi-validated targets, actively lobbies for a long-term role for fossil gas in EU policy, and is replacing Datteln IV with plans for ~2 GW of new gas-fired capacity, locking in carbon for decades. Investors should treat Uniper as a laggard-in-transition rather than a genuine climate solution, given the persistent and dominant fossil-fuel revenue base and contradictions between stated goals and actual capital allocation.

laggardUniper earns revenue primarily by generating and trading power and gas across Europe — operating gas-fired, hydro, and nuclear plants, running large-scale gas storage infrastructure, and trading physical energy commodities globally; the business is heavily exposed to wholesale gas and power price spreads.

Commitments & Certifications

CDP: Disclosed — score not publicly confirmed at A-level ↗other: EU Taxonomy aligned — partial ↗

Controversy & Greenwashing Watch

mediumDatteln IV coal plant sold to commodity trader — coal continues operating

Uniper divested the 1,052 MW Datteln IV coal plant to Czech commodity trader ResInvest in late 2025 as required by EU state aid conditions, but the plant remains operational — meaning Uniper removed coal from its books without eliminating the emissions.source ↗

highFossil-gas lobbying contradicts climate transition narrative

InfluenceMap documents Uniper actively lobbying against EU renewable hydrogen rules, advocating unconditionally for a long-term role for fossil gas, and concealing memberships in gas lobby associations with negative climate policy positions.source ↗

mediumNo SBTi-validated targets despite public net-zero ambition

Uniper publicly claims a path to carbon neutrality and a net-zero ambition but has not submitted targets for SBTi validation, meaning its climate targets lack independent science-based verification.source ↗

high2 GW new gas-fired capacity planned

While divesting coal and publishing a transition plan, Uniper simultaneously plans approximately 2 GW of new gas-fired generation capacity, locking in fossil fuel infrastructure inconsistent with 1.5°C pathways.source ↗

mediumScope 3 'use of sold products' emissions dominate footprint

Scope 3 emissions — predominantly from combustion of sold gas — account for 79% of Uniper's total GHG footprint (64.3 Mt CO2e in 2024), dwarfing operational improvements and reflecting the inherently high-carbon nature of its core commodity business.source ↗

high€13.5 billion state bailout after Russian gas crisis

Uniper was nationalised by the German government in late 2022 following catastrophic losses from Russian gas supply cuts, requiring a €13.5 billion rescue package approved under EU state aid law with asset-disposal conditions attached.source ↗

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