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