THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC. | Energy Supply Ratio at THE GOLDMAN SACHS GROUP, INC.

Status
Filed
AGM date
Previous AGM date
Proposal number
6
Resolution details
Company ticker
GS
Resolution ask
Report on or disclose
ESG theme
  • Environment
ESG sub-theme
  • Fossil fuel financing
Type of vote
Shareholder proposal
Filer type
Shareholder
Company sector
Financials
Company HQ country
United States
Resolved clause
Shareholders request The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (“Company”) disclose annually its Energy Supply Ratio (“ESR”), defined as its total financing through equity and debt underwriting, and project finance, in low-carbon energy supply relative to that in fossil-fuel energy supply. The disclosure, prepared at reasonable expense and excluding confidential information, shall describe Company's methodology, including what it classifies as “low carbon” or “fossil fuel.” Company should include lending in its ESR if methodologically sound.
Supporting statement
As a major global bank, Company is exposed to energy transition-related financial risks and has made certain climate-related commitments. Banks aligning their activities with their goals are better prepared to manage the energy transition, including credit, strategic, legal, and reputational risks associated with the global low-carbon transition, and to capitalize on its opportunities. The energy transition is continuing rapidly. Due in part to the growth of AI data centers and increasing electric vehicle adoption worldwide, global power demand (including in the U.S.) is rising dramatically.1 Between January and June 2025, solar and wind generation grew by a combined 403 terawatt-hours, outpacing the world’s rising power needs.2 These trends can shape energy and transportation sectors and associated global value chains, with meaningful financial implications for energy sources. Investors seek to better assess how Company’s business may be affected and how it has been responding. Company is reportedly among the largest global financers of fossil fuels. It has also disclosed a sustainable finance commitment. However, Company’s disclosure does not fully capture the range of its low-carbon energy supply financing or its fossil fuel financing. Annual Company ESR disclosure is valuable because it can reflect the bank’s particular activities, context, as well as energy-financing trends. It does not preclude methodological best practices from emerging over time. As the energy transition proceeds, the ESR is an important disclosure metric. A dollar-based metric, such as ESR, would complement and supplement Company’s existing emission-based disclosures. Bloomberg provides (to its clients) ESRs for global banks, however, it does not have access to information on all lending activities.3 Usefully, Bloomberg has published an Implementation Guide4 and the Institute of International Finance has published a whitepaper that provides a potential format for standardized disclosure of methodological design.5 American peer banks, Citi and JPMorgan, now disclose their ESR and methodology, demonstrating that disclosure is feasible and leading market practice. Royal Bank of Canada has also disclosed an ESR methodology to support and measure the progress of its portfolio actions, and Scotiabank committed to disclose its ESR in 2026. We urge the Company to disclose its ESR along with its selected methodology. 1 https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-and-ai/energy-supply-for-ai; Global data center power demand to double by 2030 on AI surge: IEA | S&P Global; Global EV Outlook 2025 – Analysis - IEA 2 For The First Time Ever, Renewables Have Overtaken Coal In Global Power Generation 3 https://about.bnef.com/insights/finance/bank-financing-shows-little-progress-on-climate-goals-five-things-to-know/ 4 https://assets.bbhub.io/professional/sites/24/Energy-Supply-Banking-Ratios-Implementation-Guide.pdf 5 IIF White Paper on an Energy Supply Ratio (ESR) for Bank Disclosures > The Institute of International Finance

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