Focus on: Supporting ENGIE’s net zero carbon ambitions in Australia

ENGIE’s strategic transition has had an impact on all facets of our business, and changed the way we interact with our employees, customers, partners, and the markets where we operate.

This transition, rapid and significant, has closely mirrored a wider transition in the energy supply industry. Customer and community expectations for clean, reliable, and affordable energy has driven ENGIE Australia’s strategic agenda, and informed our investment and growth plans, ushering in a new era of profitability and delivering on early adopter advantages.

ENGIE Australia began the process of exiting coal-fired power generation in 2016, and this resulted in the closure and divestment of Hazelwood and Loy Yang B Power Stations the following year. Since closure, we have successfully decommissioned Hazelwood, demolished the station and mining infrastructure, and prepared the mine void for a future state which will be safe stable and sustainable. Importantly, this work has taken place without a single lost time injury and has culminated in ENGIE Australia starting construction last year on a 150MW large scale battery on site, which will be ready ahead of this summer’s peak demand period and serves as a tangible example of the energy transition in action.

The exit from coal was in some ways also catalyst to pursue a new business direction focusing on customer demand for clean energy products, services, and solutions. We have partnered with other large corporates, institutions and cities and precinct developers on net-zero carbon pathways, building a range of assets including wind and solar farms, and electric vehicle charging stations in support of these customers’ decarbonisation goals. Additionally, our energy retail business has in the past 18 months started offering carbon neutral electricity to customers at no additional charge, and in that time-built a near 20% market share of carbon neutral customers nationally. Our net zero goals apply to our customers and ourselves; ENGIE has committed to reaching net-zero by 2045 across all scopes, and the local implementation of this commitment is underway.

We have also forged productive partnerships in Australia, with gas network operators and industrial off-takers for our green hydrogen aspirations, an equity partner to enable our renewables growth and we have added new dimensions to the relationship with our long-standing joint venture partner Mitsui. Our business transformation has also changed our relationship with our employees, governments, and regulators, and with the communities where we have assets, projects, and developments.

Each of the achievements outlined above could not have been achieved without the massive efforts by each and every member of the ENGIE Australia legal team, all of whom have gone well beyond the call of duty to serve their stakeholders, both internal and external. In the years to come, I am confident we will look back fondly on our contributions to creating a strong and lasting legacy of energy transition in Australia.