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Fortum Oyj Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2021

Mar 29, 2021

3217_rns_2021-03-29_78dab1da-2f7d-4e07-bf5d-b4a581cb1349.html

Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement

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Notice to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Fortum Corporation 2021

Notice to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Fortum Corporation 2021

FORTUM CORPORATION STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 29 MARCH 2021 AT 17:10 EEST

The shareholders of Fortum Corporation are invited to the Annual General Meeting
to be held on Wednesday, 28 April 2021, starting at 2:00 p.m. (EEST) at the
company headquarters, address Keilalahdentie 2-4, Espoo, Finland. The
shareholders of the company and their proxies may only participate in the
meeting and exercise shareholder rights by means of voting in advance as well as
by making counterproposals and presenting questions in advance. It is not
possible to attend the meeting in person. The instructions for the shareholders
can be found below in Section C. Instructions for the participants of the Annual
General Meeting.

The Board of Directors of the company has decided on an exceptional annual
general meeting procedure on the basis of the temporary law to the Finnish
limited liability companies act to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic
(677/2020) approved by the Finnish Parliament on 15 September 2020 and effective
as of 3 October 2020. In order to limit the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic,
the company has decided to take the measures permitted by the temporary law so
that the Annual General Meeting can be held in a predictable manner, taking into
account the health and safety of its shareholders, the company’s staff and other
stakeholder groups.

The shareholders can follow the Annual General Meeting online on the company’s
website at www.fortum.com/agm. The shareholders following the AGM by these means
are not considered to be participating in the meeting, which means that they do
not have any shareholder rights, such as, the right to ask questions or the
right to vote during the meeting.

A. Matters on the agenda

The following matters will be considered at the Annual General Meeting:

  1. Opening of the meeting

  2. Matters of order for the meeting

The Chair of the meeting will be attorney-at-law Manne Airaksinen. In case Manne
Airaksinen is unable to act as Chair of the meeting for a weighty reason, the
Board of Directors will name another person it deems the most suitable to act as
Chair.

  1. Election of person to confirm the minutes and to verify counting of votes

The person to confirm the minutes and to verify the counting of the votes will
be Veli Siitonen. In case Veli Siitonen is unable to act as the person to
confirm the minutes and to verify the counting of the votes for a weighty
reason, the Board of Directors will name another person it deems the most
suitable to act in that role.

  1. Recording the legal convening of the meeting and quorum

  2. Recording the attendance at the meeting and adoption of the list of votes

Shareholders who have voted in advance during the advance voting period and who
have the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting in accordance with
Chapter 5, Sections 6 and 6 a of the Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act
will be recorded to have attended the Annual General Meeting. The list of votes
will be adopted according to the information provided by Euroclear Finland Oy.

  1. Presentation of the financial statements, the consolidated financial
    statements, the operating and financial review and the auditor’s report for the
    year 2020

As participation in the Annual General Meeting can only be done in advance, the
company’s financial statements, the consolidated financial statements, the
operating and financial review and the auditor’s report, published by the
company and made available on the company’s website at
www.fortum.com/annualreport2020 on 16 March 2021, are considered to have been
presented to the Annual General Meeting.

The President and CEO will present a review at the Annual General Meeting, which
can be followed online on the company’s website at www.fortum.com/agm, a
recording of which will also be available on the company’s website after the
meeting.

  1. Adoption of the financial statements and consolidated financial statements

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting adopt the
financial statements and the consolidated financial statements. The company’s
auditor has supported the adoption of the financial statements.

  1. Resolution on the use of the profit shown on the balance sheet and the
    payment of dividend

The distributable funds of Fortum Corporation as at 31 December 2020 amounted to
EUR 4,915,857,735 including the profit of the financial period 2020 of EUR
1,678,521,550. The company’s liquidity is good and the dividend proposed by the
Board of Directors will not compromise the company’s liquidity.

The Board of Directors proposes to the Annual General Meeting that a dividend of
EUR 1.12 per share be paid for 2020.

Based on the number of registered shares as at 11 March 2021, the total amount
of dividend would be EUR 994,889,801.The Board of Directors proposes that the
remaining part of the distributable funds be retained in the shareholders’
equity. Dividend shall be paid to shareholders who on the record date of the
dividend payment 30 April 2021 are recorded in the company’s shareholders’
register held by Euroclear Finland Oy. The Board of Directors proposes that the
dividend be paid on 7 May 2021.

  1. Resolution on the discharge from liability of the members of the Board of
    Directors and the President and CEO for the year 2020

  2. Presentation of the remuneration report for the company’s governing bodies

As participation in the Annual General Meeting can only be done in advance, the
remuneration report for the company’s governing bodies for 2020, published by
the company and made available on the company’s website at
www.fortum.com/annualreport2020 on 16 March 2021, and which describes the
implementation of the company’s remuneration policy and provides information on
the remuneration of the governing bodies during the financial year 2020, is
considered to have been presented to the Annual General Meeting. The resolution
of the Annual General Meeting on the approval of the remuneration report is
advisory.

  1. Resolution on the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholder’s Nomination Board did not reach a unanimous proposal, and
consequently did not make a proposal for the remuneration to be paid to the
Board of Directors for their following term of office.

The Chair of the Nomination Board has informed the Nomination Board and the
company that the Finnish State will propose to the 2021 Annual General Meeting
that, given the prevailing exceptional circumstances, increasing the fees of the
Board of Directors for the coming period is not justified.

The Finnish State will propose the following remuneration of the Board of
Directors for the term 2021:

· Chair: EUR 77,200/year
· Deputy Chair: EUR 57,500/year
· Members: EUR 40,400/year
· The Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee, if he/she is not simultaneously
acting as Chair or Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors: EUR 57,500/year.

For each Board and Board Committee meeting, the fee is EUR 600. For Board
members resident outside Finland in Europe, the fee for each meeting is doubled
and for Board members resident outside Europe, the fee for each meeting is
tripled. For Board members living in Finland, the fee for each Board and Board
Committee meeting is doubled for meetings held outside Finland and tripled for
meetings held outside Europe. For Board and Committee meetings held as a
telephone conference, the fee is paid as single to all members.

12. Resolution on the number of the members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board proposes that the Board of Directors consist
of seven (7) members, including the Chair and the Deputy Chair.

13. Election of the Chair, Deputy Chair and members of the Board of Directors

The Shareholders’ Nomination Board proposes that the following persons be
elected to the Board of Directors for a term ending at the end of the Annual
General Meeting 2022: Ms Essimari Kairisto, Ms Anja McAlister, Mr Teppo Paavola,
Mr Veli-Matti Reinikkala, Mr Philipp Rösler and Ms Annette Stube are proposed to
be re-elected as members, and Ms Luisa Delgado is proposed to be elected as new
member.

Mr Veli-Matti Reinikkala is proposed to be elected as Chair and Ms Anja
McAlister as Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors.

All candidates have given their consent to the election, and are independent of
the company and its major shareholders.

The current board members proposed to be re-elected have been presented on
Fortum Corporation's website www.fortum.com/governance, and the biographical
details of the new proposed Board member at www.fortum.com/agm.

  1. Resolution on the remuneration of the auditor

On the recommendation of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Board of Directors
proposes that the auditor’s fee be paid pursuant to an invoice approved by the
company.

15. Election of the auditor

On the recommendation of the Audit and Risk Committee, the Board of Directors
proposes that Deloitte Oy be re-elected as the auditor, and that the Annual
General Meeting request the auditor to give a statement on the granting of
discharge from liability to the members of the Board of Directors, the President
and CEO and the possible Deputy President and CEO, and on the Board of
Directors’ proposal for the distribution of funds. Deloitte Oy has notified the
company that Jukka Vattulainen, APA, would be the responsible auditor.

The recommendation of the Audit and Risk Committee of the Board of Directors on
the election of the auditor is available on the company’s website at
www.fortum.com/agm.

16. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the repurchase of the
company's own shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors be authorised to
decide on the repurchase of the company's own shares as follows:

The aggregate maximum number of own shares to be repurchased would be 20,000,000
shares, which corresponds to approximately 2.25 per cent of all the shares in
the company. Only the unrestricted equity of the company could be used to
repurchase own shares on the basis of the authorisation.

Own shares could be repurchased at a price formed in public trading on the date
of the repurchase or otherwise at a price formed on the market.

The Board of Directors would decide how own shares will be repurchased. Own
shares could be repurchased using, inter alia, derivatives. Own shares could be
repurchased otherwise than in proportion to the shareholdings of the
shareholders (directed repurchase).

The authorisation would cancel the authorisation resolved by the Annual General
Meeting of 2020 to decide on the repurchase of the company’s own shares, and it
would be effective until the next Annual General Meeting and in any event no
longer than for a period of 18 months.

  1. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on the disposal of the
    company's own shares

The Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors be authorised to
decide on the disposal of the company's own shares as follows:

The number of shares to be disposed based on the authorisation shall not exceed
20,000,000 shares, which corresponds to approximately 2.25 per cent of all the
shares in the company.

The Board of Directors would decide on the conditions of the disposals,
including to whom, at what price and in which manner the company's shares are
disposed. The disposals could also be made in deviation from the shareholders’
pre-emptive rights (directed share issue).

The authorisation would cancel the authorisation resolved by the Annual General
Meeting of 2020 to decide on the disposal of the company’s own shares, and it
would be effective until the next Annual General Meeting and in any event no
longer than for a period of 18 months.

  1. Authorising the Board of Directors to decide on charitable contributions

The Board of Directors proposes that the Board of Directors be authorised to
decide on contributions in the total maximum amount of EUR 500,000 for
charitable or similar purposes, and to decide on the recipients, purposes and
other terms of the contributions.

The authorisation would be effective until the next Annual General Meeting.

  1. Closing of the meeting

B. Documents of the Annual General Meeting

The proposals for the decisions on the matters on the agenda listed above and
this notice are available on Fortum Corporation’s website at www.fortum.com/agm.
The financial statements, consolidated financial statements, operating and
financial review, the auditor's report of Fortum Corporation and the
remuneration report for the company’s governing bodies were published on
www.fortum.com/annualreport2020 on 16 March 2021. The minutes of the Annual
General Meeting will be available on www.fortum.com/agm on 12 May 2021 at the
latest.

C. Instructions for the participants of the Annual General Meeting

For the purpose of limitation of the spreading of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Annual General Meeting will be organised in such a manner that the shareholders
and their proxies proxy representatives cannot attend the meeting in person, nor
can they participate in the meeting by means of real-time telecommunications,
but it is possible to follow the meeting online at www.fortum.com/agm. The
shareholders of the company and their proxies may only participate in the
meeting and exercise shareholder rights by means of voting in advance as well as
by making counterproposals and presenting questions in advance in accordance
with the instructions provided below.

  1. Shareholders registered in the shareholders’ register

Each shareholder, who on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, 16 April
2021 is registered in the shareholders’ register of the company held by
Euroclear Finland Oy, has the right to participate in the Annual General
Meeting. A shareholder whose shares are registered on his/her personal Finnish
book-entry account, is automatically registered in the shareholders’ register of
the company. A shareholder may only participate in the Annual General Meeting by
voting in advance, as described below. A shareholder may also make
counterproposals and submit questions in advance, as described below. The use of
proxies is described below.

  1. Registration and advance voting

Registration and advance voting will begin on 7 April 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (EEST),
following the deadline for the counterproposals. A shareholder who is registered
in the shareholders’ register of the company and wishes to participate in the
Annual General Meeting by voting in advance, shall register for the meeting and
vote in advance no later than by 4:00 p.m. (EEST) on 21 April 2021. The
registration and votes must have been received by the company no later than by
the above-mentioned deadline.

When registering, the shareholder shall provide the information requested. Any
personal data provided to Fortum Corporation or Euroclear Finland Oy by a
shareholder will only be used for the purpose of the Annual General Meeting and
processing of the necessary registrations related to the Annual General Meeting.

Shareholders with a Finnish book-entry account may register and vote in advance
on certain items on the agenda of the Annual General Meeting from 9:00 a.m.
(EEST) 7 April 2021 until 4:00 p.m. (EEST) 21 April 2021 in the following ways:

a) on the Fortum website at www.fortum.com/agm;

For natural persons, electronic advance voting requires secure strong electronic
authentication and a shareholder may register and vote by logging in using
his/her personal Finnish online banking codes or a mobile certificate.

For shareholders that are legal entities, electronic advance voting does not
require strong electronic authentication. However, the shareholder shall provide
the number of its Finnish book entry account and other information required.

The terms and other instructions related to the advance voting are available on
the company’s website at www.fortum.com/agm.

b) by email or by regular mail.

A shareholder may submit the advance voting form available on the company’s
website as of 7 April 2021 at the latest, or corresponding information to
Euroclear Finland Oy by email to [email protected], or by regular mail
addressed to Euroclear Finland Oy, Yhtiökokous / Fortum Corporation, P.O. Box
1110, FI-00101 Helsinki. When submitting the advance voting form, a
representative or a proxy representative of the shareholder shall provide a
dated proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right
to represent the shareholder at the Annual General Meeting.

If a shareholder participates in the Annual General Meeting by submitting the
votes in advance to Euroclear Finland Oy, submission of the votes before the end
of the registration and advance voting period constitutes due registration for
the Annual General Meeting, provided that they contain the above mentioned
information required for the registration.

Instructions regarding the advance voting are also available on the company’s
website at www.fortum.com/agm.

  1. Proxy representatives and powers of attorney

A shareholder may participate in the Annual General Meeting and exercise his/her
rights at the meeting also by way of third-party proxy representation. A proxy
representative may also participate in the meeting only by means of voting in
advance, as described in this notice, or by making counterproposals and
presenting questions in advance. A proxy representative shall provide a dated
proxy document or otherwise in a reliable manner demonstrate his/her right to
represent the shareholder at the Annual General Meeting. If a shareholder
participates in the Annual General Meeting by means of several proxy
representatives representing the shareholder with shares in different securities
accounts, the shares with which each proxy representative represents the
shareholder shall be identified in connection with the registration for the
Annual General Meeting.

The proxy documents, if any, should be submitted to Euroclear Finland Oy by
email to [email protected], or by regular mail addressed to Euroclear
Finland Oy, Yhtiökokous / Fortum Corporation, P.O.Box 1110, FI-00101 Helsinki,
no later than by the end of the registration period, by which time the proxy
documents must have been received by Euroclear Finland Oy.

Submission of the proxy document and the advance votes to Euroclear Finland Oy
before the end of the registration and advance voting period constitutes due
registration for the Annual General Meeting, provided that they contain the
information required for the registration described in Section C.2.

  1. Holders of nominee registered shares

A holder of nominee registered shares has the right to participate in the Annual
General Meeting by virtue of such shares, based on which he/she would be
entitled to be registered in the shareholders' register of the company held by
Euroclear Finland Oy on the record date of the Annual General Meeting, 16 April
2021. In addition, the right to participate in the Annual General Meeting
requires that the shareholder, on the basis of such shares, has been temporarily
registered into the shareholders’ register held by Euroclear Finland Oy by 10:00
a.m. (EEST) on 23 April 2021 at the latest. For the nominee registered shares,
this constitutes due registration for the Annual General Meeting.

A holder of nominee registered shares is advised to request well in advance the
necessary instructions regarding the temporary registration in the shareholders'
register of the company, the issuing of proxy documents and registration for the
Annual General Meeting from his/her custodian bank. The account management
organisation of the custodian bank shall temporarily register the holder of the
nominee registered shares who wishes to participate in the Annual General
Meeting into the shareholders' register of the company by the time stated above
at the latest, and arrange advance voting on behalf of the holder of nominee
registered shares. For the sake of clarity, it is noted that holders of nominee
registered shares cannot directly register for the Annual General Meeting on the
company’s website, but must register via their custodian bank instead.

Additional information about changes in withholding taxation of dividends paid
to holders of nominee registered shares in Finland applicable as of January 2021
can be found on the company’s website at www.fortum.com/agm.

  1. Other instructions and information

Shareholders holding at least one hundredth of all the shares in the company
have the right to make a counterproposal on the proposals on the agenda of the
Annual General Meeting, to be placed for a vote. Such counterproposals must be
submitted to the company by email to [email protected] no later than by 6 April
2021 at 12 noon (EEST). In connection with submitting the counterproposal, the
shareholder shall provide evidence of the shareholding. A counterproposal will
be placed for a vote provided that the shareholder has the right to participate
in the Annual General Meeting and the shareholder owns at least one hundredth of
all the shares in the company on the record date of the Annual General Meeting.
If the counterproposal is not placed for a vote, the advance votes cast in favor
of the counterproposal will not be taken into account. The company will publish
the counterproposals that may be voted on, if any, on the company's website at
www.fortum.com/agm on 7 April 2021 at the latest.

A shareholder may submit questions referred to in Chapter 5 Section 25 of the
Finnish Limited Liability Companies Act on matters to be considered at the
meeting by 14 April 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (EEST) by email to [email protected], or by
regular mail addressed to Fortum Corporation, Corporate Legal Affairs / AGM,
P.O. Box 100, 00048 FORTUM Finland. Such questions, the company’s management’s
answers to the questions, and any counterpropsals that have not been placed for
a vote will be available on the company’s website at www.fortum.com/agm on 19
April 2021 at the latest. In order to submit questions and counterproposals, the
shareholder shall provide adequate evidence of the shareholding.

Information on General Meetings laid down in the Finnish Limited Liability
Companies Act and the Securities Markets Act is available on the company’s
website at www.fortum.com/about-us/investors/corporate-governance/general
-meeting.

On the date of this notice to the Annual General Meeting, the total number of
shares in Fortum Corporation and votes represented by such shares is
888,294,465.

Any changes in the ownership of shares that have occured after the record date
of the Annual General Meeting do not affect the right to participate in the
Annual General Meeting nor the number of votes of the shareholder at the Annual
General Meeting.

In Espoo, 29 March 2021

Fortum Corporation
The Board of Directors

Further information:

Sirpa-Helena Sormunen, General Counsel, Fortum Corporation, tel. +358 10 452
5350

Distribution:
Nasdaq Helsinki
Key media
www.fortum.com

Fortum

Fortum is a European energy company with activities in more than 40 countries.
We provide our customers with electricity, gas, heating and cooling as well as
smart solutions to improve resource efficiency. Together with our subsidiary
Uniper, we are the third largest producer of CO2-free electricity in Europe.
Close to 20,000 professionals and a combined balance sheet of approximately EUR
60 billion, we have the scale, competence and resources to grow and to drive the
energy transition forward. Fortum's share is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki and
Uniper's share on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. www.fortum.com

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