E.ON is the first energy company in the world to support the United Nations Environment Program in restoring ecosystems for climate protection and biodiversity. As Europe’s largest operator of electricity distribution networks, E.ON will create valuable biotopes under 13,000 kilometers of high-voltage lines in forest areas. This is equivalent to an area of 100,000 soccer fields. Ecological route management makes an important contribution to healthier ecosystems and greater biodiversity throughout Europe. E.ON is a partner of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), which has proclaimed the “Decade for Ecosystem Restoration” to mark World Environment Day on June 5.
”We are creating new habitats and biotopes throughout Europe, making a significant contribution to biodiversity and climate protection. Being a partner of UNEP fills us with pride, but at the same time it is also an obligation to consistently implement sustainability in everything we do”, says Leonhard Birnbaum, CEO of E.ON.
The company already has many years of experience in the ecological management of power lines and already manages 8,000 hectares of power lines in an environmentally friendly way. This experience is now to be used across the Group throughout Europe. The core of ecological route management is that only vegetation that poses a direct threat to the power lines is removed. Slow-growing trees, bushes and shrubs are retained as far as possible. Prunings are left on the ground, creating valuable nesting opportunities. This increases the biodiversity for flora and fauna under the lines.
E.ON is fully committed to sustainability and is driving the decarbonization of the energy sector with its core business. At the same time, E.ON is convinced that healthy and stable ecosystems play an important role in the fight against climate change because they store large amounts of CO2. This is why E.ON is investing a double-digit million sum in the preservation of ecosystems and is committed to establishing ecological route management for overhead power lines in forest areas throughout the Group by 2026.
In addition to actively contributing to the protection of ecosystems, E.ON is developing an online platform as part of its partnership with UNEP that gives the UN Decade a digital home. On this platform, initiatives from all over the world can present their projects, network and gain supporters for the protection and restoration of ecosystems. The digital hub is designed to inspire people, encourage conservation, and make knowledge about ecosystems accessible.
