Doing even more to reduce CO₂ emissions

In early 2018, EDF Group made the commitment to reduce its direct CO₂ emissions* by 40% compared with 2017, aiming to bring them down from 51 million tonnes to 30 million tonnes by 2030.

At the beginning of 2020, the Group committed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. He joined the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C: our only future” initiative, currently comprising more than 300 other companies that have undertaken to be CO₂ neutral by 2050, in order to help limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 °C compared with the pre-industrial period.

Also, as regards Executives in France (EDF SA), a new criteria for their variable remuneration has been introduced in 2020 which is linked to carbon intensity and more precisely specific CO2 direct emissions from electricity and heat generation (gCO2/kWh)⁽²⁾. It is based on group CO2 reduction net zero 2030 trajectory. Moreover, as regards to managers in generation business units in France (EDF SA) and the United Kingdom (EDF in the UK), 10% of the variable part of their remuneration (which represents up to 40% of their salary) is indexed to the availability of the nuclear fleet, and therefore to the carbon content of the electricity produced, which does not generate direct CO2 emissions.

On December 2020, the EDF Group's reinforced downward trajectory of CO₂ emissions has been validated by Science Based Targets⁽¹⁾ as being aligned with a well-below 2°C pathway, whilst also establishing a dedicated climate-related governance (two Climate point persons from within its Executive Committee and Board of Directors), aligned with best practices recommended by the Taskforce on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).The CO₂ emission reduction targets that the EDF Group set itself in early 2020, covering both its direct emissions (scope 1) and indirect emissions (scope 2 and 3), were validated by Science Based Targets as being aligned with a “Well Below 2°C” trajectory in accordance with their specifically developed methodology for the electricity sector.

For the EDF Group, it involves:

• reducing its direct and indirect CO₂ emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 50% (2017 basis), including emissions from non-consolidated generation assets and emissions associated with electricity purchased for sale to end customers;
• reducing its CO₂ emissions associated with the burning of gas sold to end customers (scope 3) by 28% (2019 basis).

This trajectory represents an absolute reduction of direct greenhouse-gas emissions amounting to 25 Mt CO₂ by 2030, equivalent to a carbon intensity of approximately 35 g CO₂/kWh in 2030.

* Direct emissions excluding the life cycle analysis of generating plant and fuel.
⁽¹⁾ The SBTi promotes a methodology to assess and track the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
⁽²⁾ The Group specific CO2 direct emissions was 55g/kWh in 2019 and our target is 35 g/kwh by 2030

Worldwide

EDF group's CO₂ emissions* are well below those of other electricity producers, and are steadily declining. After passing under the 100 g of CO₂/kWh mark in 2015, EDF Group’s specific carbon emissions delivered the figure of 48 g/kWh in 2021. The Group’s carbon intensity is now nine times lower than the sector’s average worldwide⁽¹⁾, and five times lower than the European average⁽²⁾.

The decrease in carbon intensity between 2020 and 2021 is mainly related to the increase in the EDF Group CO₂-free* production (increase of more than 23 TWh), in particular of its nuclear production.

* Direct emissions excluding the life cycle analysis of generating plant and fuel.
⁽¹⁾ 2019 data, International Energy Agency, Emission Factors 2021, Sept. 2021.
⁽²⁾ Estimation 2020, EU-27, European Environment Agency, Greenhouse gas emission intensity of electricity generation by country, Oct. 2021

In France

In mainland France, the EDF production mix remains very low with a carbon intensity of 14 g CO₂/kWh, that is 14 times less than the European average for the sector⁽¹⁾.

⁽¹⁾ Estimation 2020, EU-27, European Environment Agency, Greenhouse gas emission intensity of electricity generation by country, Oct. 2021

EDF reduced its CO₂ emissions in France by more than two-thirds from 24 to 8.3 million tonnes between 1990 and 2016. In 2021, it delivered the figure of 5.7 million tonnes.

The Group achieves its commitments decommissioning power plants producing electricity from plants.

For about twenty years, the Group has been implementing and supporting the decommissioning of the largest number of coal and heavy fuel plants in Europe. From 2017, the Group was involved in the Powering Past Coal Alliance coalition which recommends within the framework of the Paris Agreement the phasing out of coal, from 2030, in the countries.

In 2021, Le Havre power plant in France and two plants of the West Burton A power plant in the United-Kingdom had been decommissioned.

EDF Group has the foremost hydropower capacity in the European Union. It is also one of Europe’s leading producers of electricity and heat from renewable sources.

It is highly committed to developing renewable energy, notably wind, solar and hydropower, backed by its nuclear plants as the main source of power. By 2030, the Group aims at increasing its renewable capacity production worldwide by more than 70% to reach GW net.

In France, to support the development of wind and solar power and manage their variability, EDF has been working on making the operation of its nuclear power plants more flexible. As a result, it is now possible to rapidly increase production at some nuclear power plants to offset a drop in wind or solar output; or, conversely, rapidly drop nuclear production when wind and solar production ramp up. Today, the reactors in EDF’s nuclear fleet can modulate around 80% of their power in under 30 minutes. This capability is not found anywhere else in the world.