Red Eléctrica de España has verified its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory of for 2013, an initiative that responds to the Company's commitment towards sustainability and transparency of information, and the objectives defined in its climate change strategy.
In 2011, Red Eléctrica incorporated into its business management a bespoke climate change strategy that included the measurement of GHG emissions through a methodology based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the most widely used international accounting tool for calculating emissions.
Since then, the Company has continued working on updating and improving the measurement process, which has allowed it to submit their GHG emissions inventory for 2013 to a verification process by an accredited independent external entity, and therefore fulfil a major rating milestone for its stakeholders.
The review process was conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in accordance with the standard ISAE 3410 Assurance Engagements on Greenhouse Gas Statements, issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB), and consisted of the evaluation of the methodology as a base for the calculation of emissions and the risk of significant inaccuracies in the GHG inventory as well as the overall presentation of the inventory.
Measuring the carbon footprint of Red Eléctrica allows goals and strategies for reducing CO2 emissions to be set and are applied not only to those produced directly as a result of the Company’s business, transmission and electricity system operation activities, but also to indirect emissions, which are mainly associated with the electricity consumption in facilities, transmission grid losses, the value chain as well as with work related travel and commuting.
Climate change and biodiversity strategies
This May Red Eléctrica renewed its climate change strategy and also the one corresponding to biodiversity with the aim of defining an action plan to further the commitment towards sustainable development and environmental conservation.
The climate change strategy is aimed at promoting a more sustainable energy model through the strengthening of the transmission grid and international interconnections, the integration of renewables, and energy efficiency as well as reducing the carbon footprint associated with the Company’s activity by identifying and controlling GHG emissions, and to offset these, principally, through the Red Eléctrica Forest reforestation project.
On the other hand, the Red Eléctrica’s biodiversity strategy has as basic principles to ensure the protection of environmental values, especially in the development of the electricity transmission grid, promoting a framework for communication and collaboration with stakeholders and collaborating with environmental agencies and public administrations in different projects for bird conservation, protection of flora and prevention of forest fires in areas where their facilities are located.
Offsetting the carbon footprint of the General Shareholders’ Meeting
According to the commitment undertaken with regard to the fight against climate change, and within the framework the strategy defined regarding this area, Red Eléctrica has quantified and offset, for the second consecutive year, the carbon footprint of its Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting held this May.
The 16.54 tonnes of CO2 equivalent derived from the organisation and the running of this event have been offset by the purchase of credits CER (Certified Emission Reductions) certified by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to develop a wind energy generation project in Gansu Province (China).
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