- The Company committed itself to develop renewable energy sources, to reduce the emissions of thermoelectric power stations, converting old plants and using more biomass and Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF), and to improve end-use energy efficiency.
- The Ministry and the Government pledged to accelerate the authorization procedures and to support Enel's innovative projects including at European level.
Rome, July 7th, 2009 Within the framework of the Environmental Pact promoted by the Prime Minister and the Minister for Environment, Territory and Sea as well as by 11 Italian companies, the Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Enel Fulvio Conti and the Minister Stefania Prestigiacomo, today signed voluntary agreement in the presence of the cabinet under-secretary Gianni Letta. In this agreement, Enel pledges to contribute with tangible and measurable actions to achieve Italian and EU objectives on greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency, and the development of renewable energy sources. The EU Energy Package calls for 21% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, 20% reduction in primary energy consumption, and 20% growth in electrical energy production from renewable sources within 2020.
Fulvio Conti, Enels Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, commented: Enel has always voluntarily adopted a policy of emission reduction and development of renewable and energy efficient sources. With today's agreement, we confirm our commitment in the fight against climate change, being able to count upon the support from the Government and from the Ministry of the Environment to overcome obstacles and delays which impede the entry into service of new environmentally-friendly plants, and to carry forward including at a European level Enel's innovative projects for CO2 capture and sequestration, the hydrogen chain, high-concentration solar cells, and intelligent grids.
ENEL'S COMMITMENTS
Renewables
With the agreement signed today, Enel pledges to increase the installed power that uses renewable sources, which at the end of 2008 was equal to 2,597 MW (excluding large-hydroelectric plants), by a further 4,100 MW within 2020. For that year, the installed power of Enel plants which use water, solar, and wind power and natural ground heat (geothermal) will amount to around 6,700 MW.
Thermoelectric power
On the thermoelectric front, Enel pledged to replace old low-efficiency fuel-oil power plants (thermal efficiency 38%) with new clean-coal power plants (thermal efficiency 45%). First among these is that of Porto Tolle (Rovigo), whose conversion project recently received a positive environmental impact assessment. The conversion of this power plant alone will entail a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions which can be estimated at 2 million tons per year.
Biomass and RDF
Furthermore, Enel pledged to increase the use of virgin biomass and of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for the production of electricity in its power plants from 137.5 thousand tons per year for 2008 (115 thousand tons of biomass, 22.5 tons of RDF) to 300 thousand tons (230 thousand tons of biomass, 70 thousand tons of RDF) in 2013.
End-use energy efficiency
Enel intends to strengthen its commitment to end-use energy efficiency: in public lighting, also through the use of leds; in its distribution network, through the development of smart grids; in collaboration with industrial customers through audits to optimize energy consumption. Actions of this kind will allow savings of about 100 thousand tons of oil equivalent within 2013 and 300 thousand tons within 2020.
COMMITMENTS OF THE MINISTRY AND THE GOVERNMENT
The Ministry of the Environment and the Government pledged:
- to identify, in observance of the provisions in force, possible steps to accelerate the authorization procedures for which it is responsible, to allow Enel to swiftly implement the actions envisaged by the agreement;
- to support the projects in which Enel takes part, in promoting the participation of Italian companies in the European environmental research and innovation programs;
- to promote the reuse of existing industrial sites, favoring investments with high environmental content.
The instrument of the Voluntary Agreement between large companies and Public Administrations, envisaged by the CIPE resolution of November 19, 1998, on the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and in the Green Book of the European Commission, is intended to favor the achievement of national objectives on the reduction of climate-altering gases.