Universal access to sustainable energy: from words to action

Since the last decade, EDP has been engaged in promoting universal access to sustainable energy. We have now decided to reinforce this commitment with an investment of 12 million euros over the next three years and by applying more than one million euros in social responsibility activities. With this investment, we hope to impact 200 thousand people, mainly in developing countries.

This decision falls within the strengthening and the new strategy of EDP’s energy access (A2E) area. We want to promote sustainable energy for all and reinforce the positioning of the company as an A2E operator with relevance in emerging markets, with special emphasis on the rural market without connection to the national electricity grid (off-grid) using renewable energies.

The investment in social responsibility activities will support our commitment to sustainability, particularly through the creation of a philanthropic fund with the mission to mitigate the power exclusion in which more than a billion people still live.

A2E reflects our involvement in the communities where we have operations, combining social responsibility and economic sustainability of our projects, while enhancing new opportunities for internationalization in countries where a significant share of their rural populations does not have access to electricity.

The strengthening that we now make in this area – and that follows an investment that already carried out five million euros in A2E projects since 2009 – is no more than the recognition of a central axis of our strategy, moving from words to actions.

António Mexia

CEO of EDP Energias de Portugal SA