Environmental Policy of EnBW
Environmental and climate protection are integral parts of the Group strategy and the EnBW Board of Management resolutely defines targets and implements measures to pursue these objectives. We believe that comprehensive environmental and climate protection encompasses the following themes: a commitment to decarbonization, the rigorous application of our environmental management system, forward-looking management of climate risks, reducing pollutants, resource-saving waste and water management and the protection of biodiversity.
Our environmental principles described below define our strategic approach in these areas.
- For us, sustainable management consists of the simultaneous perception of economic, ecological and social responsibility.
- As a company, we share responsibility for our environment and nature conservation. We not only consider the potential negative impacts of our activities on the climate and environment but also focus on the future-oriented and sustainable use of all natural resources.
- With our energy mix, we aim to achieve supply security while protecting the environment and ensuring appropriate economic efficiency.
- We take precautionary measures to ensure the safe operation of our plants and protection of the environment by managing our impacts, risks and opportunities.
- We engage in open dialog with politicians, authorities, the world of science, the general public and social groups on environmental matters and develop and maintain partnerships.
- The environmentally responsible behaviour of our suppliers and contractors is important to us.
- Our employees act in an environmentally conscious manner and are constantly improving their qualifications.
- Within our value-added processes, we are committed to complying with the legal requirements. In addition, we voluntarily comply with other, more far-reaching standards for sustainable corporate management.
- We provide our customers with innovative products and services for the efficient use of energy and are always improving them.
- We are resolutely committed and dedicated to the continuous improvement of our environmental performance, insofar as this is economically viable. To this end, we define ambitious environmental targets and publish our environmental data.
EnBW AG and other subsidiaries have an environmental management system certified according to DIN EN ISO 14001 or validated according to EMAS. We have thus created the prerequisites for ensuring that environmental requirements are systematically and continuously taken into account. It is used to manage guidelines and regulations, define and monitor environmental targets and establish the necessary testing processes.
Environmental targets
Our strategy is based on a holistic approach to stakeholders. It defines specific financial and non-financial targets in the dimensions finance, strategy, customers and society, environment and employees. This enables us to dovetail the financial and non-financial aspects of our business activities. We use meaningful performance indicators to measure the degree to which we have achieved our targets.
We strive to credibly reconcile corporate, political and social objectives in the environmental field. Derived from our EnBW strategy, our environmental aspects and the requirements of the energy revolution, in environmental protection, we focus on the following fields of action:
- Expand renewable energies
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Reduction of pollutant emissions and water consumption
Performance indicators
We use the following performance indicators to measure our performance in the individual fields of action by means of clear and binding targets. The three indicators installed renewable energies capacity, share of installed renewable energies capacity and CO₂ intensity are defined as top performance indicators of the environmental dimension for the implementation of the EnBW Strategy.
The installed output of renewable energies (RE) and the share of the generation capacity accounted for by RE measure the expansion of renewable energies. They refer to the installed output of the power plants and not to their weather-dependent contribution to electricity generation.
The calculation of the emissions and water indicators is based on the emissions of CO₂, SO₂, NOx, and CO, as well as the amounts of water withdrawal and the wastewater discharged. The intensity indicators are calculated as the ratio between the emissions or the amounts of water and the electricity generated by the Group. Thus, they describe the specific emissions released per kilowatt-hour, as well as the specific amounts of water extracted and discharged per kilowatt-hour.
In addition, EnBW has set itself the target of reducing its waste and making a significant contribution to various aspects of waste management through its policy commitment to manage waste responsibly and sustainably. This is measured on the basis of the absolut amount of directly generation-dependent waste from heat and electricity generation and the waste recovery rate.
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Objective
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Performance indicator
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2024
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2023
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2025 Target
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2030 Target
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Objective
Expand renewable energies (RE)
Expand renewable energiesTOP Performance Indicator: Installed renewable energies (RE) capacity and share of RE capacity in the generation capacity: In 2024, the installed output of renewable energies (RE) increased to 6.6 GW. This rise was primarily attributable to the expansion of photovoltaic power plants and onshore wind farms in Germany and France. Pumped storage power plants that do not use the natural flow of water were reallocated under renewable energies as planned now that pumped storage power plants are classified as a taxonomy-aligned economic activity. Overall, the share of the generation capacity accounted for by RE increased to 58.7%. Alongside the increase in renewable energies, the transfer of Block 7 of the Rheinhafen steam power plant in Karlsruhe to the grid reserve also had an effect. The targets in our EnBW 2025 strategy of increasing the generation capacity of all of our renewable energy power plants to between 6.5 GW and 7.5 GW by 2025 and ensuring that they account for more than 50% of our total generation portfolio were thus already achieved in 2024. |
Performance indicator
TOP installed RE capacity in GW and share of RE in generation capacity in % 0The figures for the previous year have been restated.
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2024
6.6 / 58.7
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2023
6.3 / 54.9
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2025 Target
6.5 to 7.5 / > 50
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2030 Target
10.0 to 11.5 / 75 to 80
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Objective
Implement climate protection / reduction potential of greenhouse gases
Climate protection / realising greenhouse gas reduction potentialTOP performance indicator: CO₂ intensity The CO₂ intensity of our own electricity generation fell in comparison to the previous year by 14.7% to 272 g/kWh and thus was below our revised forecast in the Six-Monthly Financial Report for a CO₂ intensity of between 290 g/kWh to 350 g/kWh. Our coal power plants were deployed to a much lower extent due to market prices, availability issues and the transfer of Block 7 of the Rheinhafen steam power plant in Karlsruhe to the grid reserve. Higher generation volumes from hydropower plants and the addition of new renewable energy power plants also led to higher generation from renewable sources. |
Performance indicator
TOP CO₂-intensity in g/kWh 0The figures for the previous year have been restated.0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh). 0The amount of CO₂ emissions from controllable electricity generation included in the performance indicator is 6,338 thousand t (previous year: 7,407 thousand t).
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2024
272
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2023
319
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2025 Target
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2030 Target
90 to 110
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Objective
Reduction of pollutant emissions
Reduction of pollutant emissionsSO₂ intensity and NOx intensity The SO₂ intensity and NOx intensity of our own electricity generation decreased in comparison to the previous year by 42% to 119 mg/kWh and by 20% to 169 mg/kWh, respectively. The reduction in these performance indicators in comparison to the previous year is due to the increase in generation from renewable energy sources and the lower deployment of our coal power plants as described previously. SO₂ intensity and NOx intensity in 2024 had fallen 60% and 50%, respectively, in comparison to the reference year 2018 (295 mg/kWh and 337 mg/kWh, respectively). |
Performance indicator
SO₂-intensity in mg/kWh 0The figures for the previous year have been restated.0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh).
NOx-intensity in mg/kWh 0The figures for the previous year have been restated.0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh). Dust intensity in mg/kWh 0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh). 0No target value for 2025 developed. |
2024
119
169 2.8 |
2023
206
211 2.6 |
2025 Target
- |
2030 Target
10 to 15
40 to 60 ≤ 0,5 |
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Objective
Reduction of water withdrawal / waste water
Waste water intensityIn 2024, the waste water intensity of our own electricity generation fell in comparison to 2023 by 19% from 28 l/kWh to 23 l/kWh. The reduction in comparison to the previous year is due to the increase in generation from renewable energy sources and the lower deployment of our coal power plants as described previously. The waste water intensity was 26% lower in 2024 in comparison to the reference year of 2018 (31 l/kWh). |
Performance indicator
Waste water intensity in l/kWh 0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh). 0Waste water is the total of the amounts of cooling and waste water that are discharged into surface water.
Water withdrawal intensity in l/kWh 0The calculation for this performance indicator includes the generation from fossil and renewable sources. It does not include the share of positive redispatch that cannot be controlled by EnBW. In 2024, this performance indicator includes generation volumes of 23,307 GWh (previous year: 23,229 GWh). 0No target value for 2025 developed.0Water withdrawal includes surface/river water, well water/groundwater and drinking water. |
2024
22.8
23.2 |
2023
28.0
28.4 |
2025 Target
22 to 25
- |
2030 Target
10 to 15
10 to 15 |
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Objective
Maintaining a highest waste recovery rate
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Performance indicator
Waste recovery rate in %0The waste recovery rate is the quotient of the waste for recovery and the total waste.
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2024
97
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2023
96
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2025 Target
-
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2030 Target
≥ 95
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Objective
Reduction of directly generation-dependent waste
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Performance indicator
Directly generation-dependent waste in Tsd. t0Waste from power and heat generation plants with a thermal output greater than 50 MW whose disposal code begins with 10 01 or 19 01, excluding waste from redispatch and reserve power plant operations.
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2024
659
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2023
-
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2025 Target
-
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2030 Target
270
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Environmental measures
Environmental data
On a regular basis we publish environmental data on CO₂ footprint, air pollutants, resource use, water use, etc. These figures supplement the environmental data published in the Annual Report to meet the reporting requirements of the CSR Directive and the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).
For some environmental indicators, extrapolations and estimates of consumption have been made where primary data are not available for the whole reporting period. If we notice in subsequent years that estimates have not been made correctly, we complete our data gaps with primary data, also retrospectively. We also take into account more recent findings on emission factors retroactively, if necessary. Significant deviations from the reported values are corrected as a matter of principle.