Statkraft: Delivering strength and resilience, through sustainability

Irish Examiner

5 days ago

Pat O'Sullivan, Country Sustainability Manager, Statkraft Ireland, outlines the company's commitment to delivering renewable technologies that transform how we power our homes, businesses, and communities
Today's world is facing many challenges ranging from the personal and individual, to national and international, across issues including our climate, cost of living and biodiversity crises. At Statkraft we believe that becoming socially, environmentally and economically stronger and more resilient is arguably more important now than it ever has been before, and we believe that sustainability holds the key to delivering this resilience.
Sustainability simply means, doing the right thing, in the right way and making decisions that benefit people and the environment around us — both today and tomorrow. We take a balanced, pragmatic approach, ensuring that our actions are grounded, appropriate for the present and guided by delivering positive long-term impact.
At Statkraft Ireland, we are capturing our onshore and offshore wind energy resources, our solar resources and also delivering critical services to ensure that we have both energy storage and a stable grid system. Each year we are connecting projects to our electricity grid that put us in a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable energy position. We are committed to delivering renewable technologies that transform how we power our homes, businesses, and communities.
In delivering renewable energy onto our electricity system today, we are securing Ireland's energy independence and sustainability. Every project we deliver is taking a step towards that goal. In Ireland, we cannot allow ourselves to be at the mercy of costly foreign energy imports especially when we have all the natural resources required to provide for our energy needs today and into the future.
Pat O'Sullivan, Country Sustainability Manager, and Andrea Maestu Gallego, Project Sustainability Manager, with Statkraft.
However, fostering strength and resilience is not limited to what we do, it is also embedded within what we do. We work with local communities to deliver resilience guided by local input and feedback. Social, environmental and energy initiatives to name but a few are supported through our local community benefit funds and separately we aim to maximise local economic gain through employment and contracts.
Environmentally, we aim to ensure that local resilience is protected and enhanced with a pathway to grow, allowing this to strengthen year on year. Our natural environment and resources are precious to us as Irish people and they need to be safeguarded.
At Statkraft, our sustainability strategy revolves around four pillars: The Just Transition (People), Biodiversity, Climate and Circularity. We have a Sustainability Action Plan aimed at delivering on these pillars through a balanced approach which will build capacity through collaboration.
Our approach ensures that all risks are managed and opportunities for enhancement identified.
'Ní neart go cur le chéile' — 'There is no strength if we don't pull together'
Our journey to realise our full sustainability ambitions will take time, but this journey can be made easier, faster and more effective through collaboration. While individuals can make a difference, dramatic differences can be achieved when we join forces and work together.
Our teams have a proven track record of working proactively and constructively in an inclusive way with communities both onshore and offshore. This is not something new — we have worked like this for the past decade. What is new however, is the context of the relationships that we are building with our contractors and broader stakeholders with the common view of maximising the opportunities associated with sustainability.
Clonfad Solar Farm in Co Westmeath is a working example of Statkraft's vision, a model of how renewable energy projects can succeed by aligning project management excellence with social responsibility, environmental awareness and sustainability governance and management.
Clonfad Solar Farm in Co Westmeath is a working example of our vision. With the capacity to reduce CO2 emissions by c.750,000 tonnes, the project is working with the local environment — not against it — to protect and enhance biodiversity.
Low-carbon technology has been employed sensibly during construction, and waste is being managed carefully and intelligently. With over 300 people employed on site, including local men and women, the project is ensuring decent wages and decent working conditions for all. Our four pillars - People, Biodiversity, Climate and Circularity are being delivered on in a balanced and pragmatic way, working collaboratively with all stakeholders.
Clonfad has emerged as a model of how renewable energy projects can succeed by aligning project management excellence with social responsibility, environmental awareness and sustainability governance and management. Prioritising issues such as embedding sustainability processes and carrying out sustainability risk assessments may not sound exciting, but ultimately, they are very important and effective.
We have a vision and a plan and a team that is already delivering on making a positive impact on people's lives, the environment and the climate. We have depth in our approach and have no interest in tokenistic gestures, superficial PR, greenwashing, or any other form of populism. Statkraft is committed to making a meaningful impact and leaving a real legacy that this generation can be proud of.
www.statkraft.ie