sustainability

Sustainability

Foundations

sustainability > Stakeholders > ONG

ONG

We see Non-Governmental Organisations as fundamental partners for building a better future. They are an active voice and are organised to focus on critical issues of the company. Learning to listen to them and incorporating their expectations is to improve the route of EDP on a path that we intend to make increasingly more sustainable.

How we relate
 
> We foster dialogue and the establishment of partnerships. EDP establishes a range of partnerships with different NGOs, which facilitate dialogue with the company. Today, we are contacted whenever doubts or problems arise, or suggestions deemed relevant are conveyed to the company.

> We integrate partnerships in projects;

> We establish collaboration protocols;
 
 
Existing channels
 
> We provide a specific channel for relations with NGOs, where we undertake to publish the company's position in relation to different issues that are posed.

> We provide the telephone numbers of the various EDP officers responsible for the different partnerships.
 
 
What we are told
 
> The major environmental issues highlighted by NGOs are: Energy Efficiency and Species Conservation (Biodiversity) mainly associated with the new hydroelectric power stations and the environmental impact of power lines.
 
 
We responded by

 > Promoting awareness raising initiatives, lectures, workshops and conferences;

> Meeting with NGOs;

> Establishing partnerships in the energy efficiency field: Ecofamilies, Eco-Charities;

> Concerns with the environmental impact of new hydroelectric projects resulted in a cooperation protocol with CIBIO, aiming to establish mitigation/offsetting measures that generate an overall positive impact;
 
> LTER Project – a project to analyse the long-term ecological consequences of the construction of the Baixo Sabor Dam, to be conducted by CIBIO, now integrated into the worldwide network of "LTER - Long Term Ecological Research“ sites;

> Concerns with the impact of power lines resulted in collaboration protocols – the Birdlife Protocol and Safelinet Project- and a manual of best practices for the implementation of power lines in sensitive areas;

> Issues related to biodiversity resulted in the creation of a fund – the EDP Biodiversity Fund – which aims to contribute to the expansion of scientific knowledge on different aspects of biodiversity and the optimisation of conservation and improving ecosystem dynamics. This fund focuses on public or private non-profit organisations and scientific or university institutions, which demonstrate that they have expertise in the field of nature conservation;

> In response to requests for information from NGOs, students and other stakeholders, we facilitate access to environmental matters that we are involved with through the BrowsEDP channel, which provides various documents on this matter;

> Biodiversity Report – An annual report describing the impacts and information on projects and case studies in the biodiversity field developed by EDP. The first report was published in 2009, referring to the period from 2007 to 2009.