Protecting Biodiversity

This is a two-way interaction: Group activities are partly dependent on ecosystem services in terms of biomass resources, water and climate, and our activities also impact directly on biodiversity. The fragmentation and disruption of habitats caused by the footprint occupied by our facilities represent the main impact of Group activities (soil permeability compaction, interruption of ecological continuity, etc.).
The largest of these footprints is imposed by gas storage facilities and pipelines (since these are underground, they do not contribute to fragmenting the land) and the reservoirs used for hydropower generation.

Conventional power generating plants impact on biodiversity through their atmospheric emissions of CO2, NOx, SO2 and particulate matters, and their abstraction and discharge of water for process cooling.
 
Wind farms are most disruptive to birds and bats.

Environments favorable to the development of invasive exotic species can be created on worksites, especially during construction work. It is important to integrate this risk in the project phase.
 
The main indirect impacts relate to the Group’s sourcing of supplies, especially biomass.

The protection of biodiversity is a component of the Group’s development, along with the management of its risks and opportunities in terms of regulation and reputation. Poor consideration or anticipation of regulatory changes ever stronger or stakeholder expectations may cause delays or stoppages in our business, and therefore significant financial costs. The protection of biodiversity is fully involved in environmental and social responsibility of the Group and constitutes a strong challenge to the territorial base of its activity.

In 2023, the Group will further analyze the impacts and dependencies of its activities on nature. This analysis, carried out with the support of ERM consulting, uses the LEAP approach (Locate-Evaluate-Assess-Prepare: Guidance on the identification and assessment of nature-related issues: the LEAP approach – TNFD) recommended by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (tnfd.global) for the identification and assessment of nature-related issues, and recommended by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (Directive - 2022/2464 - EN - CSRD Directive - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)
This first detailed review of impacts and dependencies also used the results of the WBCSD's sectoral work - Energy Pathway, (Roadmap to Nature Positive: Foundations for the energy system - World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)) to which ENGIE contributed.

Nature-related impacts :

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Nature-related dependencies :

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Our commitments

As part of its contribution to resisting the global erosion of biodiversity, remediate its impacts and continue to benefit from systemic ecosystem services, the Group made biodiversity an integral part of its strategy, business lines and its new product development as early as 2010.

The latest commitments were made in 2021 in the framework of act4nature international and Entreprises Engagées pour la Nature-act4nature France.

Chronology of the Group's commitments to preserve biodiversity:

• 2010: Launch of the Group’s biodiversity guidelines
• 2012: Commitments in the French national strategy for biodiversity supported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition

• 2016: Commitment in the Business and Biodiversity Pledge, initiated by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) during the COP13 in Cancun, Mexico.

• 2018: Commitment in act4nature, an initiative launched by Entreprise pour l’Environnement (EpE) to mobilize companies to biodiversity issues. The 2021 statement of those commitments is now available.

•  2019: Commitment to UNESCO World Heritage sites, and more specifically to natural and mixed sites.

• 2021: Commitment in act4nature international (evolution of act4nature), for the Group's global commitments and in Entreprises Engagées pour la Nature-act4nature France (the rest of the commitments in the French national strategy for biodiversity)

• 2023 : Renewal of the commitments in act4nature international 
   

ENGIE renews and broadens its commitments by defining a new roadmap 2020-2030, based on the main pressures defined by IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services), the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals), act4nature common commitments and the challenges specific to the Group’s activities. These commitments are designed according to 4 axes:
 

>> ENGIE’s individual commitments to act4nature international <<
 

The Group's commitments are organized around 4 key areas related to the major pressures on biodiversity.

Axis 1 – Land footprint and ecological continuities

Through its various sites, ENGIE can contribute to the preservation of biodiversity by optimizing the use of its land footprint, restoring ecological corridors and reducing the presence of invasive alien species.

In 2010, the Group fixed the goal of implementing a targeted action plan on all its priority sites in Europe by 2015. For the period 2016-2020, this objective has been integrated into the internal objective of integrated and concerted environmental management.

For the period 2020-2030, ENGIE has stepped up its commitments to identify priority sites for biodiversity and has set an ecological management objective for all its industrial sites.

• Ecological site management

For all of the Group’s industrial activities, ENGIE is committed to implementing ecological management on its sites, which means, at a minimum, no use of phytosanitary products and differentiated management of green spaces. 

>> Guidance on ecological management of sites <<

• Solar parks and pollinators in the US

Since 2016, ENGIE NorthAmerica has incorporated revegetation as a standard element in the design of solar parks, using mixtures of grasses and flowering plants that grow naturally in the area, providing a pollinator-friendly ecosystem. These natural habitats protect the pollinator food chain. Flowers provide nectar for insects, birds eat seeds and insects, and plant stems and undergrowth ensure nesting and safety for all. 

Today, 58 distributed solar sites, representing 890 acres of plantation (~360 hectares), benefit from this good practice.

In addition to the positive effects on biodiversity, creating a dynamic ecosystem, the deep roots prevent soil erosion and degradation, and absorb more water. Site maintenance is reduced for the duration of the project.

ENGIE is collaborating with BeeOdiversity and a local beekeeper to carry out a two-year study on the Sun Valley solar park (150 MW) in Texas, which prioritizes the planting of pollinator-friendly plant species: high-quality plants on 200 acres of land (~80 hectares) in its buffer zone, and low-growth plants within the site. The study involves collecting small quantities of pollen and analyzing them, using techniques based on environmental DNA, to identify the plant species in the area and detect the presence of chemicals. The aim of the study is to gain a better understanding of the types of plants present, to assess the diversity of the ecosystem and the success of the plantations. In addition, chemical analysis will determine whether bees are exposed to agricultural chemicals from the surrounding area.

>> Biodiversity as a solution | BeeOdiversity <<

• Action plans for priority sites

A priority site is defined as a site located in or near a biodiversity sensitive area (IUCN Categories I-VI, UNESCO Natural and Mixed, RAMSAR, MAB, KBA, Natura 2000). A site identified as a priority must establish an appropriate action plan, in consultation with stakeholders.

• Wind farm and Agroforestry to act in favor of biodiversity

The ENGIE Green wind farm in Mont de la Grévière, France, is identified as a priority site because of its proximity to a Natura 2000 protected area. In order to offset the loss of habitat for agricultural plain avifauna linked to the establishment of the wind farm, in 2016 ENGIE Green supported the planting of agroforestry trees on 18 hectares of Ardennes agricultural plots.

This co-development (agroforestry and wind power) is beneficial for the soil and biological diversity, but also for the agricultural world and renewable energy.

• The plantation of a little more than 4600 linear meters of noble wood trees of several species allows to welcome several species at different periods of the year.
• The grassy strips at the foot of the trees are very good refuges for insects and lowland species
• Water storage and filtering capacity of the soil (confirmed by the study of the hydrological and biogeochemical functions of the soil)
• Biomass creation and carbon storage
• Land more suitable for agriculture

In order to verify the effectiveness of this action, ENGIE Green has launched, in 2019, an environmental monitoring of these plots in partnership with the French Association of Agroforestry and the Regroupement des Naturalistes Ardenais (ReNard).

Among the results of this first year of monitoring, two striking results have already emerged:

• Water infiltrates 11 times faster through trees than elsewhere.
• The number of insects per hectare is almost 4 times higher on agroforestry plots than on control plots, and specific diversity is more than 10 times higher.
• A 10-year agreement was signed with both parties to monitor the ecological and hydrogeological effects of this measure.

Taking into account and protecting the environment is also a source of enhanced performance for the Group (reputation, internal mobilization, reduction in authorization procedures, enhancement of its assets, etc.). Feedback from Group action plans shows that some sites are going beyond the targets set by the Group. They are adopting proactive approaches aimed at involving and engaging the various stakeholders, such as the biodiversity project for differentiated management implemented at all gas storage sites in France.

The actions carried out at these sites illustrate the wealth and diversity of initiatives that the Group can put in place to preserve and even improve biodiversity locally:

Other actions :

• Programs to restore flora and protect fauna and ichthyofauna along the banks of dams in Brazil 
• Limiting the impact of water intakes or discharges into the sea by thermal power plants
• Reduction or complete stoppage of wind power generation during bird migration periods
• Remediation of brownfield sites
• The introduction of ultrasound techniques to prevent fish being caught in the cooling water inlet filters of conventional power generating plants

Axis 2 – Climate change

The preservation of biodiversity and the fight against climate change are two profoundly linked issues. Since the appearance of the first forms of life, biodiversity and climate have interacted constantly. 

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming is not only compatible with the preservation of biodiversity, it is also one of the conditions for its success. The reverse is also true: by preserving the ecosystem balances of a territory and by preserving the ecological functionalities of a habitat, the climatic conditions are also naturally regulated.

>> Learn more about ENGIE's commitments to the Climate <<

• Nature-based Solutions

Nature-based Solutions rely on ecosystems to address societal and environmental challenges. They play an essential role in climate change adaptation and biodiversity preservation.

To act simultaneously on the challenges of climate change and biodiversity, ENGIE is committed to implementing identified projects that comply with the Nature-based Solutions standard defined by IUCN.
 

• Mangrove plantation, Abu Dhabi

Since 2020, ENGIE has partnered with the Abu Dhabi Environment Agency (EAD) in a collaborative initiative to restore and preserve the mangrove near its Mirfa power generation site in Abu Dhabi. Using cutting-edge drone technology developed in partnership with local start-up Distant Imagery, the restoration project has successfully planted more than 500,000 saplings over an area of 30 hectares. Using the innovative technique of using drones to plant mangrove saplings has not only protected the integrity of existing mangroves, but also facilitated ongoing restoration efforts in less densely populated areas. ENGIE began this collaboration with EAD and Distant Imagery in 2020, actively supporting the plantation's progress over the following years: 

• 2020: pilot planting phase of 2,000 seeds, achieving a success rate of 20-25%. 
• 2021: planting of 35,000 seeds, with a success rate of 30-35%. 
• 2022: planting of 150,000 mangroves, with a success rate of 40%. 
• 2023: planting of 300,000 mangroves, with a success rate of 40-45%. 

This pioneering project has been validated by the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as a Nature-based Solution, actively contributing to the health and well-being of marine ecosystems. Moreover, the restoration of the mangrove ecosystem is in line with the country's Net Zero vision and strategy, aimed at contributing to its natural carbon sequestration targets and national biodiversity commitments, namely the planting of 100 million mangroves by 2030.

• Regenerative agriculture in Brazil

The Regenera+ project is an initiative by ENGIE Brasil Energia and Sebrae RS to promote regenerative agriculture in the Passo Fundo hydroelectric power plant region. The project aims to strengthen the resilience, efficiency and sustainability of rural properties, while reducing production costs and carbon emissions. The project involved 17 rural producers and more than 10 professionals in agronomy, biology, ecology and the humanities. Training and monitoring of best agricultural practices and action plans were drawn up to meet 20 socio-environmental requirements. 

In the first year of operation, Regenera+ achieved a real reduction of 32.06% in cereal production costs, covering an agricultural area of 533.64 hectares. The properties presented a carbon emissions and absorptions balance of - 1,004.53 tonnes of CO2eq, demonstrating that overall, the properties absorb more carbon than they emit into the atmosphere. 

With regard to the application of organic inputs, 16,400 liters of syrups produced on the estates were applied. As early as the second year of intervention, monitoring of socio-environmental indicators revealed that 50% of the criteria assessed saw their score increase. 

In addition, 30% of the estates invested in equipment to improve the adoption of organic products.

>> Learn more about Nature-based Solutions <<   

• Contributing to the preservation of wetlands

As a committed local player, ENGIE has undertaken to contribute to the preservation of Ramsar-listed wetlands in the vicinity of its sites, in collaboration with the stakeholders concerned. This contribution may be financial or technical, depending on local needs.

Preserving the habitat of sandhill cranes in South Dakota
At ENGIE North America, preserving the health and safety of the environment in which the Group operates is crucial. The Group follows the voluntary U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Land-Based Wind Energy Guidelines to assess and address the biological impacts of wind projects. These implement a bird and bat conservation strategy, and all site employees are trained in this strategy. The Triple H wind project site in South Dakota conducted biological surveys prior to construction, which identified potential wetland habitat for migrating sandhill cranes. In April 2022, the wind site was informed by the Public Utility Commission that a group of migrating sandhill cranes and a pair of whooping cranes had been spotted in this wetland. Site operators responded by shutting down turbines in the area and hiring a biologist to monitor these endangered species until they continued their migration. Thanks to Triple H Wind's implementation of the bird and bat conservation strategy and the permit agreement with the Public Utility Commission, these species have been protected.

Axis 3 – Value chain

Impacts on biodiversity are spread across the entire value chain. The Groupe therefore integrates in its risk and opportunity analyses the potential impacts of its own activities as well as those of the supply chain and maintains a dialogue with stakeholders throughout the value chain.

• Mitigation Hierarchy

Among the CSR criteria of the projects presented to the Commitment Committee (CDE) figures a criterion related to the application of the Mitigation hierarchy (Avoid, Reduce, Compensate), based on the national regulations and the recommendations of the IFC (International Finance Corporation). 
ENGIE is committed to applying the Mitigation hierarchy throughout the world in consultation with the stakeholders. Offset projects will follow IUCN recommendations (WCC 2016 Res 059)

• Application of Mitigation Hierarchy in the implementation of the Novo Estado Transmission System project (Brazil)

The transmission lines of the Novo Estado project extend for approximately 1.8 thousand kilometers. ENGIE Brazil has designed the route of these lines to avoid as much as possible the most sensitive areas, in order to avoid any interference with conservation units, indigenous lands and quilombola communities.

The project also includes, where appropriate, the use of self-supporting towers in fragmented forest areas where detours were not possible, in areas with a high density of threatened and legally protected species, and in points where secondary vegetation is in intermediate and advanced stages of regeneration.

To reduce, control and offset environmental impacts, several environmental programs and sub-programs were implemented. The actions include, among others, monitoring and rescue of fauna and flora, archaeological survey and rescue, speleological survey, environmental education, construction control, social communication, recovery of degraded areas, environmental management and the action plan for malaria control.

• Loregaz project, Loretto site in Ajaccio (Corsica, France)

The Loregaz project is an ENGIE project of public interest which aims at making the gas supply of the Ajaccio region sustainable. It consists in building 2 new gas tanks encased in concrete silos, replacing the current overhead tanks.

Before the construction, Hermann's turtles and the orchids Serapias neglecta and Serapias parviflora were moved, under control of an ecologist, in order to avoid that the future construction site impacts them. Subsequently, in the application of a conservation management, these species were the subject of inventories and monitoring.

Furthermore, in order to offset the environmental impacts generated by the construction of the installation (on 2 hectares), ENGIE has associated with the Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Corse (CEN Corse) to manage, until 2038, 23 hectares of land suitable for the development of impacted species. The management of these offset areas, located in Loretto, Vignola and Suartello, has been entrusted to CEN Corse because of its expertise in the management of natural areas and its knowledge of local territories. 

This work on offsetting has given rise to a doctoral thesis, at the University of Corsica and the University of Paris Assas, which looks at how biodiversity is taken into account in corporate strategy. The thesis focuses on common species rather than protected species, which are at the root of the compensatory measures, thus providing a better understanding of the complexity of a natural ecosystem. In the same way, taking an interest in all the stakeholders involved in a compensation project enables us to appreciate the variety of skills mobilized to bring it to a successful conclusion.

This work offers an interesting case study in which biodiversity has become a central cog in the organization of actions, first structured by obligation, then in a collective dynamic, necessary over the long term, via the creation of projects within the territory.

• Supply chain

Biodiversity criteria in Life Cycle Assessments
ENGIE is committed to integrating biodiversity criteria into life cycle assessments to carry out an in-depth analysis of the impacts and dependencies with regard to biodiversity for the Group’s activities throughout the value chain, in order to identify the challenges and the appropriate solutions to meet them. 
 

Life Cycle Assessment in SBTN Step 1
Life Cycle Assessment is one of the methods proposed for the analysis of impacts and dependencies regarding biodiversity, in the Science-Based Target for Nature (SBTN) implementation guide. ENGIE is participating in the pilot phase of this work. 

Sustainable biomass supply
The Group is involved in developing biodiversity good practices internally or externally through its sourcing of energy, especially biomass, through various certifications (FSC, PEFC, SBP, etc.).
 

Axis 4 – Awareness-raising

The Group’s commitments can only be met with the involvement of employees. We are therefore developing tools to raise awareness and share best practices that are accessible to all.

• Training and awareness of employees

In order to raise awareness and train its employees on biodiversity and its link with their work, ENGIE provides in-house training modules, as well as an internal Yammer network on biodiversity, and a platform for sharing best practices.
ENGIE is also deploying the Biodiversity Mural throughout the Group.

• Our partners

To bring its projects to life and achieve its goals, ENGIE relies on one main historical partner: the French Committee of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and on an international partner: the UNEP-WCMC through the Proteus initiative.

The French Committee of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)

The partnership with the French Committee of the IUCN enables:

• The French Committee to provide the Group with its expertise and enable greater incorporation of biodiversity issues into its strategy and business activities;
• Communal discussion and consideration of issues with the members, experts and corporate partners of the French Committee;
• ENGIE to support and take part in initiatives and projects led by IUCN France.

Interview with Florence Clap,  Program Officer Biodiversity Policies, IUCN French Committee (International Union for Conservation of Nature)   What is the nature, content and history of your interactions with ENGIE? ENGIE and the French IUCN Committee have been linked since 2008 through a partnership agreement aimed at helping the Group to integrate biodiversity more fully into its activities. The partnership has three main strands and also includes sponsorship.  See the complete interview

Proteus – UNEP WCMC

The objectives of the partnership are:

• To help the Group to establish its trajectory towards "nature positive 
• Facilitate the use of tools and databases (IBAT, ENCORE, Ocean+, etc.) developed and maintained by UNEP WCMC 
• To provide a benchmark between peers and a support to the development of work on biodiversity
• Contribute to the collective effort to monitor and preserve biodiversity

The results of the work carried out by Proteus are transmitted to governments and civil society to address the challenge of biodiversity loss.

• UNEP-WCMC Proteus program
• France's National Biodiversity Strategy (SNB) 
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• IUCN French Committee