When Enabling Electricity the CSR programme was launched by Enel at the end of 2011 as part of its role as member of the United Nations' Global Compact LEAD, it had the initial aim of touching the lives of one million people around the world within two years. That target that has been smashed, with the initiative giving more than 2.3 million people around the world access to electricity thanks to Enel.
'We know that in order to continue to be a leader in the global energy market we must be able to further integrate sustainability into our business model', said Enel CEO Fulvio Conti.
Through its Enabling Electricity programme, the Group is currently carrying out more than 20 projects in 12 countries, targeting people who live in isolated rural areas or those living in the outskirts of large urban conurbations.
These projects include Ecoelce and Ecoampla in Brazil and Ecochilectra in Chile, which encourage waste recycling by offering reductions on electricity bills. Customers take paper, plastic, glass and metal to the company's collection points, receiving discounts on their bills that depend on the amount and type of waste they have collected.
The Group is also taking part in the Luces para aprender initiative promoted by the Organization of Ibero-American States, which aims to provide solar power and internet access to students at the 66,000 schools in Latin America that still lack access to electricity.
The partnership between Enel Green Power and the Barefoot College also continues. Up to now, 24 women from remote rural areas in Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Colombia have been trained in India to equip their villages with portable solar kits. Thanks to this project 1,030 solar panels – 725 in Peru and Chile and 305 in Guatemala and El Salvador – have been installed, satisfying the electricity needs of more than 2,000 households.