Working together for the energy of tomorrow
Natural resources are becoming scarce and the climate needs to be protected. We have to operate more sustainably and this is exactly what Essent and RWE are doing. In past years, both companies have already achieved a great deal in this area. This includes wind and solar energy and biomass projects as well as all sorts of other sustainable initiatives. With almost one million green electricity customers and its own large-scale generation of sustainable energy, Essent is already a leader in this area in the Netherlands and Belgium. And as part of RWE we are going to extend that position considerably. We are going to invest billions of euros in the coming years to increase, accelerate and improve sustainable power production.
The agreements made about this have been drawn up in a separate sustainability contract. This document clearly details what the company is going to do in the area of sustainability. A special, independent foundation will ensure that these agreements are complied with.
Invest in sustainable projects
From 2009 to 2013 we will invest billions of euros in sustainable projects in the Netherlands and Belgium.
For example:Onshore and offshore wind energy (for example offshore windparks Tromp Binnen (North Sea, the Netherlands) and Thornton Bank (North Sea, Belgium).
Making the biomass/coal-fired power station Eemshaven (Groningen, The Netherlands) suitable for the capture and storage of CO2 (an investment of more than € 2 billion).
Further modernisation of existing power stations.
Construction of ultra-modern new gas power stations (in Moerdijk and Maasbracht).
Securing the supply of gas, including by increasing gas storage capacity.
Research into and exploitation of sustainable technologies such as heat pumps, decentralised energy generation and HRe boilers.
Large-scale introduction of electric cars in the Netherlands as a new, sustainable means of transport.
Our goals
Thanks to the support from RWE, Essent is able to invest much more in sustainable energy in the Netherlands. Our goals are to:
- increase the share of green energy to 25% by 2020;
- increase energy efficiency of power stations from 42.5% to 50% before 2020;
- perform better than average on SO2 and NOx emissions;
- and to develop a power station using the capture and storage of CO2.
International ambitions
RWE also has far-reaching sustainability ambitions outside the Netherlands and Belgium. The RWE Group's wind turbines, hydroelectric and biomass power stations had a combined capacity of 1,700 MW at the end of June 2009. RWE Innogy, the Group's renewable energy company, aims to increase its capacity in operation or under construction to 4,500 MW by 2012. This translates into generation capacity of 15 TWh per year, which is enough electricity for around 4 million households. By 2020, Innogy aims to exceed capacity of 10,000 MW.
We are also investing in the modernisation of power stations and alternative forms of dealing with CO2 emissions, e.g. through the use of algae. And RWE is the driving force behind the introduction of electric transport in Germany, the extensive pilot project in Berlin being the most notable example.