£24 million have been directly invested in education, skills and employment and in 2022, the project added extra training programmes open to all candidates, regardless of their background or prior experience. This includes T-Levels (a nationally-recognised qualification for 16- to 19-year olds) and work placements. To date, a little under 1,000 apprentices have been trained in a wide range of disciplines, from ironwork to catering. Three levels of centres of excellence, which are essential to skill development services, have now been completed. They will train the next generation of qualified welders and both electrical and mechanical engineers. More than 5,000 people will be trained at these cutting-edge technological facilities, before taking on roles on the project and beyond.
At Hinkley Point C, sustainable construction methods contribute to reducing emissions by cutting the quantity of materials and water used, limiting the quantity of waste generated, and increasing local biodiversity. Lessons learned from the construction sector are taken into account at Hinkley Point C.
The construction requires 280,000 tonnes of steel reinforcement bars (rebars). Hinkley Point C’s rebars are made from 98% UK-sourced recycled steel. As a result, the steel reinforcement has approx. one quarter of the CO2 impact of using imported new steel.
Supplies for the project are also purchased locally, and plastic packaging has been reduced. Hinkley Point C’s catering supplier has served more than 4 million meals to workers since the start of its activities. 95% of packaging used by Hinkley Point C’s catering supplier is from sustainable sources, with nearly no single-use plastic. More than 75% of its packaging is plastic-free and disposable cups are made out of plant matter. All food waste generated in the central kitchen is processed by an anaerobic biodigester, supplying the national mains network with electricity. General waste from construction and site operation is also minimised by using a waste collection centre, which considerably reduces the quantity of waste sent to landfill sites. It now processes more than 700 tonnes of material per month.
More broadly, fifty or so environmental specialists minimise Hinkley Point C’s impact on the environment and contribute to increasing biodiversity in nearby habitats. This includes creating a freshly-restored nature area on the site’s southern perimeter and supporting a new local wetlands nature reserve. The project team also works in close collaboration with other environmental partners such as the Somerset Wildlife Trust. This partnership protects the coastal habitat providing more than £150,000 of funding to support the Brilliant Coasts project.
For some 20 years now, the EDF group has been supporting development in Laos as part of an ambitious social and environmental assistance programme. This has been implemented jointly by the government of Laos and Nam Theun 2 Power Company (NTPC), a company created by EDF, EGCO and Lao Holding State Enterprise responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the Nam Theun 2 hydropower complex.
Developed in consultation with local inhabitants and implemented by the government of Laos with the support of NTPC, the entire social and environmental programme complies with, and indeed exceeds, standards set by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
Houses have been built for all the affected households, alongside 2 dispensaries and 32 schools. Following a programme to support economic activity, Nakai plateau has undergone economic development; 97% of displaced households have achieved the revenue levels established by the programme. The median levels of consumption in the area are three times higher than the poverty threshold determined by the government. The entire population now has access to healthcare and education. 37% of those on village Committees are women.
New objectives were set for 2035: maintaining sustainable means of subsistence around the reservoir via the NT2DF fund (Nam Theun 2 Development Fund); preserving biodiversity with global heritage status; maximising renewable generation potential, including additional generation using floating photovoltaic panels, or optimising water use downstream from the dam to irrigate surrounding paddy fields, adding a second harvest during the dry season.
In Cameroon, across the 7 districts within the Project’s area of influence, the Nachtigal Hydro Power Company (NHPC) is implementing a local economic development action plan to support micro-infrastructures and local development, as well as funding revenue-generating business projects at local level.
SAFIDI, a subsidiary fully owned by EDF via the holding EDEV, is a local engagement tool to implement EDF group policies nationwide. SAFIDI’s aim is to support local economic development, industrial reconversions and spin-offs via crowdlending of job-creating SMEs in key regions and minority equity investments in companies of local interest such as semi-public companies, Energy Transition-focused SPC subsidiary, regional recovery funds, etc.
At the end of the 2022 financial year, SAFIDI had 79 minority equity holdings with assets worth €25.4 million and 74 outstanding loans (total receivables: €2.7 million). SAFIDI also owns 100% of the securities in its subsidiary Une Rivière Un Territoire Financement, EDF Hydro’s local engagement tool, which is worth €8 million.
Over the course of this year, SAFIDI examined 4 crowdlending applications, 9 equity investments, and 9 spin-offs, i.e., a total of 22 projects, on request from Group business line departments and subsidiaries.
Access to electricity is a vector for progress and development, including in the areas of health, education and security. The global electrification rate has increased steadily since 2010 but more than 800 million people still have no access to electricity, with around one half of them being located in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Most major EDF projects, especially those in Africa and Asia, are designed to improve access to electricity on a local, regional and national scale, such the Nachtigal hydropower dam project in Cameroon.
Besides its major projects, EDF intends to developing new business models that combine its traditional know-how with technological and economic innovation. These measures are supplemented by Group sponsorship.
EDF is developing off-grid projects designed to provide residential customers and very small enterprises, mainly in Africa, with electrical services, including ZECI in Ivory Coast or Bboxx in Togo (see section 1.4.5.3.7 “Africa”).
The EDF group also supports energy access across the globe in the form of sponsorship, through its Electricians Without Borders (EWB) Foundation, or through partnerships coordinated by its affiliates.
The EDF Foundation supported in 2022 27 projects run by non-profits, in an amount of €1,121,000, which electricity aids in access to water, health, education and development, by providing them with a combination of funding and technical expertise from the Group’s employees.
