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Sustainability

We bring progress and well-being

In 2019, Sustainability was consolidated as another growth pillar. Our shared value programs and genuine relations with our stakeholders are the engine to promote confidence building and generate economic development in the regions.

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Sustainability Model

It allows us to develop infrastructure and assets for the transmission of electrical energy, transport and distribution of gas under an organizational culture with an attribute of Social Awareness. We are progress enablers in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Modelo de Sostenibilidad

Our Sustainability model is a system that delivers and harmonizes:

  • The environment in which we carry out our business.
  • ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) factors or criteria and innovation specific to the management of the Group and its companies.
  • Relations with stakeholders with whom we maintain a genuine, permanent and long-term dialogue.
  • The corporate strategy that guides the decisions and actions that respond to the manifestations of the environment and to the purposes of generating value.

Its strategic lines are:

  • Cultural transformation
  • Connections of progress
  • Promotion of the regulatory agenda
  • Promoting energy efficiency
  • Transforming territories
  • Climate resilience

Social Awareness

As a Group we understand and apply Social Awareness as that sensitivity that allows us to interpret and respond to the realities of the communities in the territories where we operate and with which we permanently relate. We implement it taking into consideration the following factors:

  • Diversity, inclusion, women and gender equality.
  • Care of the environment and the setting.
  • Use of economic resources and focus on the customer.
  • Genuine Relations and generation of Shared Value.
La presidente del Grupo Energía Bogotá, Astrid Álvarez, con niños del pueblo wiwa President of Grupo Energía Bogotá Astrid Álvarez with children of the Wiwa ethnic group

Genuine Relations

Why is it important?

(102-1) GEB's Sustainability Model, which guides the genuine, permanent and transparent relationship with our stakeholders, begins with the understanding of the environment as the sum of social, cultural, economic and political conditions that define the territorial dynamics. In order to make the projects viable under the guidelines of our Sustainability Policy, we gain a better understanding of the territory by having a permanent presence, and thus we design and implement social management strategies according to the particular realities.

Stakeholders and relations channels

Stakeholders and relations channels

How we manage it?

(102-43) As a group, we define the following instruments to relate to our groups in diverse socio-political and cultural environments. These are:

  • Social dialog.
  • Inter-cultural relations.
  • Institutional strengthening.
  • Community empowerment.
  • Promoting social leadership.
  • Accountability.
  • Corporate volunteers.
Rodrigo Hernández, manager of the Refuerzo Suroccidental (Southwestern reinforcement) project with children from the Embera-Chamí community at the Suratena reservation in Marsella (Risaralda) Rodrigo Hernández, manager of the Refuerzo Suroccidental (Southwestern reinforcement) project with children from the Embera-Chamí community at the Suratena reservation in Marsella (Risaralda)

Results

  • (206-1) The Group's affiliates were not involved in legal actions related to unfair competition or monopolistic or anti-competitive practices.
  • (Propio) In 2020, we met on two occasions to sign agreements with the committees of Coffee Growers of Caldas and Antioquia, and have an agreement underway with the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Rosa de Cabal.
  • We restarted construction activities of the project UPME 05 2009 Tesalia-Alférez (230 kV) section IIB and section III, which we have been able to develop without stoppages or blockages.
  • (Propio) With the reconstruction of the Jamondino-Mocoa line, affected by weather conditions (avalanche in 2017), we assisted the resettlement process of three families in Mocoa (Putumayo); another family was relocated in Rio Blanco, Tolima.
  • (Propio)(413-1). In 2019 we had no cases of violation of indigenous peoples' rights.
  • In Colombia, through the Transmission Branch, we signed agreements with eight public and private sector entities for the execution of shared value programs.
  • (EU22) In the framework of the UPME 02-2009 230 kV Armenia project, we worked with Eafit University to implement the institutional strengthening of the municipal authorities of Circasia, Filandia, Pereira, Dosquebradas and Santa Rosa de Cabal.
  • We started the construction activities of the UPME 04-2014 project, in section I (Medellin-La Virginia).
  • (411-1) We strengthened the ancestral knowledge of the Paez Las Mercedes reservation and built the indigenous maloca that benefited the 65 families living in this reservation.

Shared Value

Why is it important?

(103-1) In 2019, we redefined six social investment programs to generate shared value that are part of the model adopted by all affiliates in Colombia, Peru and Guatemala.

(103-3) Our Social and Shared Value Management has managed to verify compliance with corporate guidelines and regulatory requirements, as contemplated by our model, which responds to the GEB’s cultural attribute of Superior Performance. We achieved this by means of an Audit Plan and periodic follow-up, developed with the audits to the contracts and as part of the Integrated Management System.

Our Sustainability, social investment and shared value office defined a management indicator as “Coverage of beneficiary population”, which aims to quantify the social coverage of the strategies of Sustainability, social investment and shared value of the area of influence of the projects that are either under construction or in active operations. This brings us closer to better outcome metrics for estimating impacts of our interventions in Colombia.

Delivery of school kits at the Transmission Branch in San Luis de Gaceno (Boyacá) area of influence of the North project Delivery of school kits at the Transmission Branch in San Luis de Gaceno (Boyacá) area of influence of the North project

How we manage it?

Recognizing needs, products and consumers
Improving financial access among the public through products and/or services Taking care of underserved or marginalized customers
Redefine productivity in the value chain
Driving productivity through better use of resources, employees and partnerships
Improve the company's operating environment
Improving the workforce, supplier base and institutions in the communities where the company operates

Our Shared Value Strategy

We use six programs to direct our efforts to bring progress to the populations. They are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and are not mutually excluding. For that reason, a project may point to several of the six action lines. These are:

  • Energy for Peace

    It is a program that brings together nearly 90 social, environmental, social infrastructure, leadership and life protection initiatives that benefit more than 18,000 people affected by the armed conflict in 11 municipalities in the departments of Valle, Huila and Tolima (Colombia).

  • Energy for Competitiveness

    We support initiatives focused on generating income or creating jobs. For example, supporting small projects with investments, training or business strengthening to make them more competitive and thus improve their income. We also work with organizations based in the territories that are related to the projects or assets in operation, directly or indirectly, with the aim of increasing their capacity and creating direct jobs. (203-1 (413-1) (413-2)

  • Energy for Well-being

    At the Group we are convinced that communities need more positive lifestyles: more physical activity, opportunities for leisure and recreation, access to drinking water and adequate nutrition. In our administration we have initiatives for water filtration, bio-healthy parks, improvement of sports spaces and community recreation spaces.

  • Energy for Learning

    We seek to improve the coverage and quality of education at all levels, including technical and vocational education, and to reduce school dropout levels. In addition, we include the improvement and construction of infrastructure to offer decent and technological conditions that favor student learning. In Colombia, for example, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, we designed and began implementing the Interactive Classrooms with Solar Energy program.

  • Ancestral Connections

    With this program, we seek to recover traditions, uses and customs, from culinary to spiritual to languages. A clear example of this is that we maintain a genuine relationship with more than 1,000 ethnic communities in our areas of influence in Colombia, Brazil, Peru and Guatemala. In addition, our technicians in Peru, Colombia and Guatemala have made more than 1,000 archaeological discoveries, which have been preserved under the guidelines of the competent institutions of the respective countries.

  • Energy for Transformation

    We are developing initiatives such as Forests for Peace, with which we will reforest and protect more than 1,100 hectares in Colombia and Guatemala. We will also compensate 9,600 hectares over the next three years. In Peru we promote the use of clean energy, thus avoiding the emission of 84 million tons of CO2. In Colombia we generate knowledge with the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute from research projects.

Results

Colombia

  • We managed to implement a georeferencing system that shows land tenure information and the daily management of social managers in territories in real time.
  • We managed to implement a georeferencing system that shows land tenure information and the daily management of social managers in territories in real time.
  • We provided technical support for the preparation of the cookbook Saberes, sabores, olores y fogones de La Loma afrocolombiana (The know-how, flavors, smells and stove tops of Afro-Colombian La Loma) which includes the ancestral recipes of the Cesar community.
  • At the end of 2019 we executed 55 projects; 63 are still in progress and we hope to arrange 67 more that are being defined with the community.
  • We created the sustainable tourism model in the implementation of the promotion and conservation of natural, cultural and archaeological heritage in Risaralda.

Peru

  • With the social investment and shared value programs of Contugas and Cálidda we benefit more than 153,000 people in 49 municipalities in the country.
  • We received recognition in the Corresponables Awards in Latin America, for the value of social responsibility practices in the NutriContugas program.
  • With Contugas, we implemented the first venture of a group of women belonging to the Un Día Mejor community kitchen (Pisco), called Recicla+; this will generate greater income for them and their community.
  • We benefit more than 2,000 families from the Non-Bank Financing Program.

Guatemala

  • With Trecsa, we executed 22 projects that meet the needs of the communities and impacted 28,750 people.
  • We released two archaeological sites to the General Directorate of Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.
  • We opened spaces within the central offices for various social support organizations to involve our employees in their projects.

Challenges

  • We will consolidate a more specific portfolio of shared value generation to strengthen social investment programs with offers of greater positive impact for communities.
  • We will measure the impact of those programs that already have some time of implementation and can be evaluated.
  • We will carry out prior consultations involving more than 200 ethnic communities in Colectora, a project located in the departments of Cesar and La Guajira (Colombia).
  • We will reach 100% implementation of the new Sustainability Model in all affiliates.
  • We will expand the coverage of current projects to benefit more and more people in our areas of influence.
  • We will deal with the Transmission Branch to address requirements of both magistrates and environmental authorities to obtain the license for the two largest projects in the central area of Colombia: Norte-Chivor and Sogamoso.