Energisa Sets Sustainability Goals for 2050

Conversation Between Sérgio Besserman and Company Leaders Marks the Launch of the Group’s ESG Commitments

One year of work. This was the time that Energisa took to outline the sustainable development commitments and goals that it has just presented to the market and its employees. Many of the actions are already underway, such as the decarbonization project with the deactivation of 19 thermal power plants by 2025, but the longer period than the company’s usual practice for goal maturation was necessary to ensure that sustainability was recognized as a central business axis, discussed with various areas of the Group, including the Board of Directors.

To mark the validation of the commitments and give employees the correct dimension of the relevance of the subject, Energisa invited a weighty ally of the sustainable development cause: the professor of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Sérgio Besserman. He participated in an internal forum on “The Role of Companies in Building Sustainability and a Low-Carbon Economy.” The online event featured the participation of the Vice President of People, Management, and Sustainability at Energisa, Daniele Salomão; the director of Management and Sustainability, Tatiana Feliciano; the Coordinator of Sustainability Management at the company, Michele de Almeida; and the Coordinator of Social Investment, Delânia Cavalcante. There was also significant participation from company leadership in a debate.

– In the next 30 years, we will make more important choices than in the entire 20th century – emphasized Besserman.

It was up to the Energisa team to present the 5 ESG commitments and their respective goals, now validated by the Company’s Board of Directors. The Vice President explained that Energisa’s ESG commitments were guided by the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to her, the discussion was part of the company’s Strategic Planning.

– The goals are set until 2050. Therefore, they could not be just a commitment of the current management of Energisa, but a commitment of the Board. The CEO and the Director of Strategy, Lucas Pinz, fully supported this definition stage as part of the company’s Strategic Planning process – stated Daniele.

The goals are future-oriented, but Energisa is already carrying out several projects in the direction of their fulfillment. In response to an employee, Tatiana Feliciano, director of management and sustainability, detailed some initiatives:

– In the environmental pillar, we can mention the project that is reforesting an area of 3 hectares in the indigenous village of Nova Esperança, in Acre. More than 5,000 native and fruit tree seedlings have been planted, in addition to the construction of a nursery and a seed bank that will enable the continuity of the action by the indigenous people themselves. In addition, training activities in agroforestry practices and arboriculture have been carried out to select the best seeds. An initiative that can be enhanced by the Fundo Floresta Viva, which Energisa has joined and signals for other similar projects in the future.

In the final message of the event, Sérgio Besserman reinforced the uniqueness of the moment humanity is experiencing:

– This is the end of civilization (driven by fossil) fuels, and the birth of another sustainable world. Energisa is at the forefront of this change! – he said, referring to the projects mentioned by the forum participants.

Here is a summary of the 5 major objectives and some of Energisa’s sustainability goals:

Facilitate the Integration of Renewable Sources in Brazil with Sustainability, Energy Security, and Reliability in the Matrix.

Goals:

• By 2026, provide clean energy and accessibility to more than 5,000 consumer units in remote areas of the concession;
• Promote the decommissioning of 171 MW through the deactivation of thermal power plants, allowing the expansion of energy exchange between regions and ensuring energy security;
• Achieve 1.7 GW of installed capacity in renewable energy.

1.       Help our customers in the energy transition by offering solutions aligned with the 4 Ds – Decarbonization, Digitalization, Decentralization, and Diversification

Goal:

• Starting in 2026, offer products and solutions for the energy transition contributing to the avoided emission of at least 510,000 tons of CO₂ per year from our customers, equivalent to planting 3.6 million trees every year.

2.       Mitigate the impacts of Energisa’s business with a systemic view of the production chain, conscious use of energy, water, waste, and reduction of emissions.

Goal:

• Achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

3.       Promote greater equality of opportunities for democratizing knowledge in entrepreneurial education and fostering actions for income generation in our concessions.

Goal:

• By 2026, be perceived as an inclusive company by our employees; and, promote the employability of about 70% of the trained audience in our continuing education programs in the communities.

4.       Engage with society through cultural actions and the manifestation of regional values in areas where the company operates.

Goal:

• Encourage cultural production and the preservation of memory in our concessions, boosting the creative economy and also mobilizing projects and partnerships to contribute to the sustainable development of our most vulnerable biomes.

Source: Anderson Lemos Via FSB Comunicação