DEVELOPING AND SUSTAINABLY

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITIES

A just transition is based on the creation of local and sustainable value and the development

of new industrial divisions without forgetting local stakeholders.

By controlling the local context and

challenges, ENGIE intends to develop

projects best adapted to each community

and thus obtain positive benefits

that contribute to their resiliency.

The development of projects such

as biomethane, renewable hydrogen

or offshore wind farms impact the

economy, industrial excellence and

local dynamism. These projects

can succeed only with perfect

cooperation with the public authorities,

municipalities, local economic players

and civil society.

Between 2021 and 2023, the Group

has made considerable investments to

support territorial development within

regions, with €15 billion-€16 billion

in growth capex, 90% of which was

for transition-related activities.

Activities that benefit from the roll-out

of ENGIE’s TED label (

Transition

Énergétique Durable

– Sustainable

Energy Transition), dedicated to

renewable energy, that guarantees the

preservation of nature, the involvement

of operators and the contribution

to the fight against climate change.

HAZELWOOD, A REHABILITATION

PROJECT LED BY THE STAKEHOLDERS

As a responsible operator, ENGIE has

set out a transformation plan which

focuses only on low-carbon projects for

electricity production, in renewables

and natural gas The 2017 closing of the

Hazelwood coalfired power plant and

its adjoining mine in the Australian state

of Victoria is in line with this strategy

of a gradual exit from the coal assets

in its portfolio

This decision followed the terrible natural

fires in 2014 that lasted 45days

These fires which were not the Groups

responsibility affected the Hazelwood

plant which was commissioned in 1964

and had reached its operational life span

As ENGIE had decided to abandon coal-

based electricity production and given

that compliance had become impossible

under the current standards, the Group

made the decision to close the plant

and the mine in March 2017.

ENGIE’s commitment to the energy

transition in the communities includes

the construction of a 150 MW battery

storage project (HBESS) on the former

Hazelwood site, which should be

operational early in 2023. It has the

capacity to store the equivalent of one

hour of energy production from the

rooftop solar systems of 30,000 Victoria

homes, thus playing an essential role

in the increase of the state’s energy

capacity and the stability of the grid.

At the same time, the Group launched

a large project to dismantle and

rehabilitate the site in cooperation with

the stakeholders. It plans to transform

the site into a mining lake. This will

create a safe, stable and sustainable

landform and fill the existing mining

hole with water to manage land

movements and fires. ENGIE is currently

preparing an Environmental Effects

Statement (EES) on this proposal.

The technical studies and impact

management plans will be made available

to the public to collect comments from

stakeholders and the community, which

will be reviewed by an independent

committee and by the Minister of

Planning for the state of Victoria.

Most of the investments made by the Group in the communities focus on

activities that support the acceleration of the energy transition

106 - JUST TRANSITION NOTEBOOK