News

2018-06-27 00:00:00.0

The objective of the group’s 'Electricity for all' programme for 2020 has been achieved three years in advance

By 2030, Iberdrola will bring electricity to 16 million people in emerging or developing countries who at present live without it

Ignacio Galán

  • This was announced by the company’s Chairman, Ignacio Galán, during his speech at the opening ceremony of the first Ibero-American Conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is taking place in Salamanca
  • Galán pointed out that "action from everyone is essential and must start now. It's about awakening a new state of consciousness." In this regard, he also highlighted that "the private sector needs to help make a fundamental contribution to this common effort"
  • The Chairman of Iberdrola also stressed that SDGs are "essential levers" to assure a sustainable future and that for Iberdrola these goals "already make up part of its DNA"

Today, the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, announced that by 2030 the company will bring electricity to 16 million vulnerable people currently living without it in emerging or developing countries, through the use of modern forms of energy which use environmentally sustainable models.

The announcement came during his speech at the opening ceremony of the first Ibero-American Conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is being held in Salamanca from today until Friday with the backing of Iberdrola, the University of Salamanca and the Polytechnic University of Madrid.

The new objective unveiled by the company's Chairman is part of the Electricity for All programme, set in motion by Iberdrola in 2014 with the initial goal of guaranteeing the electricity supply to four million vulnerable people in developing countries by 2020, a goal fulfilled two years ahead of schedule. The 12 million new beneficiaries of this programme will in the main come from Brazil and Mexico.

Accordingly, Ignacio Galán has made it clear that the company has “an essential commitment to extending access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services for those people who are currently living without them.”

Electricity for All means Iberdrola is the first utility in the world to launch a specific programme focused on SDG 7 -affordable and non-polluting energy- and it responds to the group's decision to make SDGs, the United Nation’s agenda for the 2030 horizon, part of its strategy.

In his speech in Salamanca, Galán stated that Iberdrola, being a Spanish, Ibero-American and global company, wants to make a decisive contribution to achieving a more sustainable world: "Action from everyone is essential and must start now. It's about awakening a new state of consciousness. The health of the planet demands specific measures and we have to carry them out right now."

In this line, he highlighted that "the private sector needs to help make a fundamental contribution to this common effort. The company should be the driver of growth and employment, factors that form the basis of economic and social development.

Furthermore, the Chairman of Iberdrola stressed that the SDGs constitute 17 "essential levers" which guarantee that humanity has a sustainable future, while also recalling that achieving them is a task for everyone, including the "private sector, which needs to make a fundamental contribution to this common effort".

Ignacio Galán also explained how Iberdrola has really taken on board the commitment to comply with the 2030 Agenda: "We can say that the SDG’s are part of our DNA", he remarked. Together with Objective 7, the company has been focusing its efforts on number 13, related to climate action and has been contributing to other points, such as, 4 - Quality education, 8 - Employment creation and economic growth, 9 - Boosting innovation, 5 - Gender equality, and 17 - Creating alliances to meet the objectives.