WWF and Essent extend their cooperation agreement by four years

28 September 2006 - Today, the World Wildlife Fund and the energy company Essent have extended their cooperation agreement by four years. This means that the organisations will continue their joint activities in the field of sustainable enterprise and climate change over the next four years. For example, WWF and Essent will search jointly for alternative, sustainably produced biomass for supplementary firing in gas-fired power stations. A pilot project is also being started up for testing out alternative biomass in practice. The extension of the contract further means that Essent has the honour of being the chief sponsor for the next four years - up to and including 2009.

WWF and Essent extend their cooperation agreement by four years

The cooperation means also that the two parties will jointly continue the promotion of Green Electricity and Green for Gas. The close cooperation between WWF and Essent dates from as long ago as 1995, when Essent was the first company to market Green Electricity. Since then, both organisations have done much to ensure the success of this energy product. Essent will also make a contribution to the climate campaign which the WWF is conducting this autumn.

The General Director of the WWF, Johan van de Gronden, stated: 'Climate change is one of the most serious threats to nature. It is therefore important to operate our energy supply in a more climate-friendly manner, so that the warming up of the earth does not exceed 2 degrees C. Because the temperature has already risen by an average of 0.8 degrees since the beginning of the last century, we can no longer delay taking far-reaching measures to innovate our economy. Our cooperation with Essent is therefore very challenging. Together we can work on solutions. It is a tremendous advance that there are now many ways in the Netherlands of generating electricity from biomass and wind instead of from fossil fuels. However, the production of biomass, such as palm oil, should of course not be at the expense of the forests. We are therefore searching jointly with Essent for biomass which does not destroy nature'.

The Chairman of Essent's Board of Directors, Michiel Boersma, said: 'As partners in the struggle against climate change, we inspire each other to take fresh initiatives in the fields of sustainability and energy saving. Thus we are also jointly encouraging the switch to Green Electricity and Green for Gas, because the more people who make use of them, the better it is for nature.'

The contract was signed during the Night of Nature, a conference of the World Wildlife Fund in cooperation with Forum 2020 on climate change and new energy.

For more information:
Clarisse Buma
head of press information
World Wildlife Fund
030-6937374
06-21548657
cbuma@wwf.nl

Anneloes van der Voort
press spokeswoman of Essent
026-8511357
or via the Essent Press Office
0800-02 44 022
pressoffice@essent.nl

Available on request
Non-copyright photographs of the turning point, photographs of nature in relation to climate change, such as polar bears, ice landscapes, North Pole. 

28 September 2006

Published: 28 September 2006