Climate protection & resource conservation

The activities of Energy AG are intended to provide maximum support to the goals pursued by Austria's climate policy. This includes increasing the share of Group-owned systems for electricity generation from renewable sources and initiating measures to improve the efficiency of existing systems. The Group's contribution to decentralising the market is manifest in projects that lay the foundation for the emergence and functionality of renewable energy communities and facilitate a sensible, practical future cooperation with these new market players.

Projects aimed at reducing the internal consumption of resources, compensating for undesirable effects from the Group's own operations on the climate and natural environment, as well as further improving the environmental footprint of Energie AG are being implemented.

The measures aimed at raising awareness for the responsible treatment of energy resources among the population are complemented by (digital) information and advisory services as well as attractive financial assistance options.

Emissions

The Energie AG Group’s business activity requires a reasonable amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Thermal power plants are indispensable for electricity production as a means of ensuring a secure supply and stable grids. Energie AG works to counter emissions by making substantial positive impacts on the environment through efficient low CO₂ energy and heat generation, and by harnessing the benefits of primary fuel and primary raw material substitution. In addition, the Waste Management Segment’s refrigerator recycling service makes a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The emissions in the 2020/2021 fiscal year are broken down as follows: the total direct (Scope 1) CO₂ emissions amounted to 1,251 kt of CO₂ (previous year: 1,349 kt); of these total CO₂ emissions, 923 kt are attributable to fossil fuel sources (previous year: 1,036 kt) and 328 kt to biogenic energy sources (previous year: 313 kt). Energie AG Group accounted for 36 kt of indirect (Scope 2) market-based CO₂ emissions (previous year: 81 kt) and 127 kt site-based CO₂ emissions (previous year: 118 kt).

The Energie AG Group’s emissions predominantly come from the operation of thermal power plants, district heating plants, waste incineration plants and co-generation plants, as well as from pumping energy, distribution losses, process heat, building heating and vehicles.

Calculation of CO₂ emissions takes into account the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol Corporate Standards and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI 305) Standards.

Scope 1 encompasses direct emissions from the incineration processes of stationary facilities, direct emissions from the incineration processes of mobile facilities, direct emissions of volatile gases and direct emissions from processes (CO₂ and CH₄).

Direct greenhouse gas emissions are released when primary energy sources are converted in the Company's facilities, vehicles and building heating (without electricity). This includes all fuels such as natural gas, heating oil, coal, diesel, petrol, liquefied petroleum gas and biogenic fuels. Energie AG creates electricity and district heating from these sources, allowing it to operate its own fleet of road vehicles.

Scope 2 encompasses indirect emissions from electricity purchases and indirect emissions from district heating. For Group units located within Austria, the generation mix of Energie AG (0.00 g CO₂/kWh) is used to measure the CO₂ emissions from electricity purchases (previous year: 141.57 g CO₂/kWh). The Czech Republic Segment is measured at the average annual generation mix for the Czech Republic as per the “European Environment Agency”.

Indirect greenhouse gas emissions are released by the use of electricity from the grid and heating from non-Energie AG systems. This includes the operation of systems that generate no electricity in-house (such as electricity supply to Energie AG buildings, grid purchases during system shutdowns/overhauls, pumped-storage electricity, systems in the water network and systems in the gas grid (without own gas needed).

CO₂ emissions in tonnes per year

CO₂ emissions from electricity production

The CO₂ emissions from electricity production ¹⁾ were reduced to 0.00 g/kWh in fiscal year 2019/2020 as a result of implementing the exclusive use of environmentally friendly energy sources (fiscal year 2018/2019: 34.17 g/kWh). This means that Energie AG Oberösterreich Vertrieb GmbH (Vertrieb GmbH) is completely climate neutral and causes no CO₂ emissions at all.