Avangrid releases 2023 sustainability report

Avangrid released its 2023 Sustainability Report this week on Earth Day, providing an update on its progress in meeting its sustainability commitments.

The report, “Our journey continues: Advancing the clean energy transition,”  details how Avangrid achieved progress on more than 85 percent of its goals.

“We are more committed than ever to ensuring that we’re doing the right thing for our communities, customers, people and planet,” Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO, said. “After all, climate change is an unprecedented global challenge that is elevating the need for clean energy solutions around the globe. As you will see in this year’s Sustainability Report, our actions are making a difference to advance decarbonization and accelerate an equitable, accessible transition to clean energy.”

Among the accomplishments highlighted in the report, Avangrid:

• Advanced construction of the country’s first large-scale offshore wind farm Vineyard Wind 1, leading to the project exporting recurrent power into New England on January 2 of this year;
• Logged more than 23,000 volunteer hours across 26 states, more than doubling the company’s volunteer hours from 2022;
• Invested $185 million in climate mitigation and adaption to helping build a smarter, stronger grid protected from the increasingly significant impacts of extreme weather events;
• Earned 14 sustainability accolades in 2023, including being named one of America’s Climate Leaders by USA Today;
• Grew renewable electricity in corporate buildings from 5 percent in 2022 to 44 percent in 2023;
• Launched a workforce development partnership with Utility Workers Union of America Local 407-1 and two technical high schools in Connecticut to ready the next generation of lineworkers;
• Was designated as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the fifth year in a row by Ethisphere; and
• Spent $284 million with diverse suppliers in 2023 – a 45 percent increase from the prior year.

Overall, the company’s goals include scope 1 and 2 carbon neutrality by 2030, achieving 12.5 GW emissions-free installed capacity by 2030, and reaching 35,000 employee volunteer hours in 2025.

“At Avangrid, our focus on sustainability is core to every decision we make, and our business is guided and strengthened by our sustainability commitments,” Laney Brown, vice president of sustainability at Avangrid, said. “I’m very proud of the progress we’ve made in the last year and excited to release our 2023 Sustainability Report that details our actions. As we look to the future, we’ll continue to address critical issues like climate change, protecting biodiversity, building opportunities for our employees and helping our communities access the resources they need to thrive.”