How we’re planning to help Britain achieve Net Zero
So we can get there sustainably and responsibly
At EDF, we’re not just talking about saving the planet. We're doing everything we can to help Britain achieve Net Zero. That's the EDF difference.
Of course, we’re a responsible business and proud to be Britain's biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1). But with size, age and experience, we believe we can do even more.
We can help our customers, our colleagues and our communities live and work more sustainably. Every day. Because together we can reduce the UK’s carbon emissions to nothing.
Low-carbon electricity
To accelerate the UK’s shift to low-carbon nuclear and renewable energy and storage
By 2035 we aim to enable the investment in 12GW of low-carbon nuclear and renewable electricity capacity to meet around one fifth of the UK's demand.(2)
What we're doing
Looking to the mid-2030s, we're enabling the investment of around £50 billion to help ensure there’s a ready supply of affordable, reliable, low-carbon electricity. Between 2019 and 2035, the electricity from our existing nuclear stations is expected to avoid around 170 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, almost 3 times the emissions from the UK’s power sector in 2019. Together, this will help reduce the carbon intensity of our operated generation from 72g CO₂e / kWh in 2019 to less than 10g in 2035.
- We're ramping up our renewable energy generation to more than quadruple our capacity in the UK by 2035.
- We're enabling investment in building new nuclear at Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C to replace outgoing stations with a low-carbon option.
- We closed one of our two coal power stations in September 2019 and the other is only run when needed to balance peaks in the energy system. It will close before 2024.
- We're investing in the development of emerging low-carbon energy sources like our Hydrogen-to-Heysham project. We will produce low-carbon, low-cost hydrogen for local communities.
- We've acquired a majority stake in Pod Point, a leading provider of charging infrastructure for EVs which has rolled out over 62,000 charging points in the UK.
We're doing everything we can to take carbon out of the national energy mix
We are rapidly growing our renewable energy and energy storage capacity
Today we’ve got just under 1GW of renewable energy capacity from 33 onshore and two offshore windfarms and one battery storage unit. We’re already constructing 600MW and are in planning and development to add almost 4GW across a range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and battery storage by 2035.
We’ve invested to make Pivot Power, a British start-up specialising in battery storage and infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, a part of EDF in the UK. There are plans to install batteries connected directly to the high-voltage transmission system - with a total capacity of up to 2GW.
We’re investing to secure a baseload of low-carbon nuclear energy
It's vital that along with the growth in renewable energy, we have a steady supply of low-carbon power that's always available.
That's why we're investing in building the first new nuclear power stations to be built in the UK in over 20 years. Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C will each provide low-carbon electricity for around 6 million homes and bring thousands of jobs and investment to the local and national economy. The electricity generated by each station will offset 9 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions a year or 540 million tonnes over their 60 year lifespans.
Making the most of what we have
Many of our stations were reaching the end of their expected lifespan. So, rather than rely on fossil fuels to fill the gap, we’ve worked hard to
extend the lifespan of existing nuclear stations by up to eight years.
The result?
A reduction in carbon emissions that’s the equivalent of taking all the UK’s cars off the road for over two years. We continue to invest in them to ensure they keep producing low-carbon electricity as long as it is safe to do so.
Sustainable living
To help households switch to low-carbon lifestyles through smarter innovative solutions
By 2035 we aim to help our household customers reduce their collective emissions by the equivalent of more than 70% of that arising from their 2019 electricity and gas use.(2)
Tomorrow starts here, now
Millions of customers support a low-carbon future just by buying from EDF, as Britain’s biggest generator of zero carbon electricity(1). But they can also access a host of smart, innovative solutions.
With smart meters, we’re helping customers see when they use their energy, so they can manage their consumption. Our new Smart+ programme provides personalised support to help them further reduce waste and lower the emissions from their home energy use. With our Smart Home Store we’re bringing customers the latest smart tech to make their homes more efficient, safe and enjoyable.
We’re innovating to decarbonise the way they heat their homes, too. Customers who rely on oil or liquid gas for their heating can test a new hybrid system that uses an air-source heat-pump with their existing boiler.
We're committed to delivering our Energy Company Obligation (ECO) to help eligible customers make energy efficiency improvements by insulating their homes and providing more efficient ways of heating them. And also our well-established network of installers means we can deliver other companies' ECO obligations as a service, which enables us to help more households with carbon saving measures than our regulatory requirements.
We're doing everything we can to help customers remove carbon from their everyday lives
Helping customers get smart with their energy usage
Smart meters give us all more control over when and how much energy we consume. EDF engineers fitted more than a million smart meters in the last two years. Latest government estimates forecast that on average households with a smart meter would have a net benefit of £36/ year by 2034 through energy efficiencies due to lower and reduced cost consumption compared to 2012 usage.
Next up? We are working on a new digital service to turn our customers' meter data into tips for saving more energy, whilst lowering carbon and costs.
Taking carbon out of car journeys
To support our customers in making the switch to Electric Vehicles (EVs), we've developed a total EV package. Making it super-easy to get on the road, this complete package includes a car, a personal charging point and a special tariff too.
Working with Pod Point, EDF will be able to offer quality installations of charging solutions at homes across the UK, which are compatible with all plug-in vehicle brands.
We are also working on initiatives like using smart meters to control EV chargers; using data loggers to assess driving patterns and indicate whether there is an electric car on the market to suit your needs; testing solar car parks and supporting the on-street EV charging V2Street project.
Empowering local communities to benefit from the move to low-carbon
We are part of Local Energy Oxford Project (LEO) which aims to demonstrate the benefits of creating a local energy market; enable local generation of renewable energy to be distributed across Oxfordshire; and develop flexible energy systems for heat, transport and electricity uses.
We are part of Project CommUNITY which enables social housing residents at a block of flats in Brixton to trade solar energy that has been generated on the roof and stored in a battery, using an app and blockchain technology. This is just the start of small communities in dense urban areas benefitting from low-carbon, local energy systems in a new and transformative way.
Sustainable working
To empower our business customers to switch to low-carbon growth
By 2035 we aim to help our business electricity customers reduce their collective emissions by more than 80% compared to their 2019 electricity footprint.(2)
What we're doing
We are finding new ways to put emerging technology to work to support businesses. We're helping them reduce their energy consumption with cuts to both their emissions and bills.
The national energy system needs innovative ways to balance supply and demand so it can bring more renewable energy on board. Part of the answer lies with businesses, and with delivering new solutions that enable our customers to better manage their energy.
We're doing everything we can to help business customers power more sustainable growth
Championing low-carbon electricity supply
A simple but significant change can be made in the type of electricity businesses consume. We allow our customers to choose to be supplied with zero carbon electricity(1) at no additional cost.
With the need to introduce more renewables into our energy system, we also enable our customers to select electricity contracts backed by renewable sources of generation. We’ve even connected some customers directly to wind farms, meaning they not only use renewable electricity, but produce it too.
Fleets that balance the grid and earn money too
Our Research and Development team are one of only a handful of specialists developing and testing new Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. The aim is for the batteries of EVs to take on a second life as energy storage units, which can share their unneeded energy during periods of peak demand. That’s good for the grid. And, of course, the rewards are good for the company owners' bottom line too.
Working with Pod Point, EDF will also help to accelerate the installation of charge points in public and private organisations across the UK.
Innovating new opportunities to balance supply and demand
We need smarter, cleaner ways to balance the grid, so we can rely less on fossil fuels like coal to do this job.
We’re actively exploring, testing and delivering new solutions to do just that.
From large-scale battery installations that help balance local grids, to flexible solutions that allow businesses to get more out of these assets, ensuring they charge and discharge in line with demand.
We're innovating to help create a more sustainable, future-ready energy system.
Responsible business
To bring everyone with us as our business transforms towards a Net Zero impact
We commit to cut our environmental impact, to create a great workplace for our people, and to make a positive social contribution.
How will we get there?
We have cultivated a safety-first culture to help ensure we continue to meet the highest global standards for the safety of our people as we strive to remove even more carbon from the power we generate.
As our business evolves, we are investing in jobs and skills development for the future, so our people can do their part to help power a Net Zero energy sector.
We want to be sure technology-led sectors, like our own, are a great place for people to feel welcome to step up and innovate tomorrow’s solutions for smarter energy.
So, we are working to close the equality gaps in careers that rely on Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education.
And we’re evolving and improving our plans to make our business an inclusive, safe place for our people to work, innovate and grow.
We want to have a Net Zero environmental impact. This means staying within permitted limits for operations, using best available techniques to tackle our environmental impacts, and prioritising new development projects where we can make the most difference. We’re also implementing circular economy principles into the way we work, reducing waste, avoiding pollution and achieving greater resource value and productivity.
We’re transforming our business in a way that is fair for people and positive for the environment
Switching to an electric fleet
We’re making the switch to low-carbon transport ourselves. As part of the EDF Group, EDF in the UK has signed up to the EV100 initiative with the goal
to change our fleet of vehicles to be 100% electric by 2030. And we are investing in EV charging infrastructure that our people can plug into when they arrive at work.
Expanding our safety culture to support mental health and wellbeing
We’re innovating our business-wide "zero harm to people" programme that has delivered global best-practice levels of safety. In addition, we now have
the resources, processes and skills in place to support our people’s mental health and wellbeing. As part of our growing Mental Health Network, our people are being trained as mental health first aiders to offer support to their colleagues.
Creating a culture of positive change
We’re creating a culture of positive environmental action amongst our 13,000 strong community of people.
In 2019, we rolled out a programme of pledges, for everyone to commit to making a change towards being more sustainable at work or at home.
In addition, we’ve launched our "no excuse for single-use" staff engagement programme which has already taken 1 million disposable cups out of circulation.
How we developed our sustainable business roadmap
We're busy doing everything we can to help Britain achieve Net Zero, but we’re not doing it alone.
To drive real change, you’ve got to start by listening. Not to the people who agree with you, but to the challengers and changemakers. The people who believe you can always do better - which is exactly what we did.
We reached out to 20 leaders and influencers to inform our sustainable business roadmap for the 2020s and beyond. We spoke to think tanks and MPs. We spoke to broadcasters and beverage companies. We spoke to sustainable investment specialists and consumer advocates. We spoke to chief executives and industry associations. We spoke to smart city innovators and next-gen influencers.
Our 'Sustainable Business Roadmap' is powered by them.
They told us to be bold. That's why we're not just transforming EDF into a Net Zero business. We're aiming to transform the UK's energy supply by decarbonising it, digitising it and democratising it.
They told us to be a champion for Net Zero, that's why we're not just empowering our employees to work more sustainably too. We're encouraging our partners, customers and communities to work, live, play and grow more sustainably.
And they told us to share our story. That's why we're doing more than educating Britain on the benefits of nuclear. We're sharing our Sustainable Business Roadmap - and the challenges and successes we experience along the way - so we can inspire others on their journey.
Our roadmap to helping Britain achieve Net Zero
First UK energy company to launch Climate Commitments
Acquired British Energy
Our generation carbon intensity down to 220g CO₂e / kWh
Sponsor of London 2012 Olympic Games, supplying low carbon power
Record 65TWh nuclear output and go-ahead for Hinkley Point C (HPC), the first UK nuclear construction since privatisation
Industry-leading, record-low lost time injury rate and acquired Imtech
5 of 8 nuclear stations operate beyond original lifetimes, major storage battery online at West Burton and Powershift flexibility aggregator 1st contract
All HPC construction milestones met and in residential supply: No.2 for customer service (Citizens Advice); No.1 cost-efficient large supplier
c1GW renewables online; >600MW under construction and acquired majority in Pod Point, a leading UK electric vehicle (EV) charging company
UK market leader in EV infrastructure; one-stop shop for lower-carbon heat; coal stations closed; West Burton B CCGT and large batteries provide flexibility
HPC operating; 25,000 job opportunities created; renewable capacity doubled; maximising remaining output from existing nuclear fleet
Our generation carbon intensity (g CO₂e / kWh)
EDF's UK fleet switched to EVs
EDF in the UK has helped to enable c£50bn of investment in c12GW wind, nuclear (HPC; Sizewell B and C) and solar, and with our existing nuclear fleet, to avoid 170MtCO2e since 2019
EDF has helped our household customers cut emissions by >70% of their 2019 elec and gas GHG emissions, and our business customers cut emissions by >80% of their 2019 elec GHG emissions
Achieve net zero emissions
Find out more
Our sustainability roadmap
Download a copy of the EDF sustainability roadmap.
Our plan for a green recovery
With the right policies in place, we plan to enable investment in low carbon technologies in the UK worth over £50bn by 2035. This amounts to 12GW of wind, solar and nuclear power – meeting one fifth of UK demand.
Find out more about our plan for a green recovery.