Biodiversity

In May 2020, the EU Biodiversity strategy for 2030 | European Commission (europa.eu)  was announced, with the aim of redirecting Europe to a path of environmental sustainability by 2030. It is part of the European Green Deal – a strategy to make the European Union the world’s first carbon-neutral group of countries by 2050.

Implementation of each new project and supervision of plants in operation give us the opportunity to look at local biodiversity. When constructing and operating RES projects that contribute to reducing the greenhouse effect, Polenergia always seeks to restore local biodiversity.

When implementing any new project, the Group analyses and assesses its impact and obtains a decision on environmental conditions. In addition, for projects under construction, Polenergia implements environmental supervision. The experts carrying out the supervision help us not only build in compliance with the law and mitigate the environmental impact, but also create added value for local biodiversity. Such projects have been created since 2014 (e.g. the active conservation of the Montagu’s harrier).

For Polenergia Group, any local action – however small – that protects and enhances local biodiversity is an action in line with the ESG Strategy. We believe that the most important initiatives are the local ones and this is where implementation of the Biodiversity Strategy must begin.

We care for local biodiversity, the protection or restoration and enhancement of which is a form of adaptation to climate change. An example of good biodiversity practices is the mandatory environmental supervision of every construction project carried out by the Group. Environmental supervision allows us to protect naturally valuable areas during project implementation and to protect species that may occur in the area of the projects. With each project, we pursue a policy of charity and support for local communities. We also understand it as activities that contribute to the development and restoration of biodiversity, e.g.:

• the establishment of wildflower meadows on all of our built and commissioned photovoltaic farms. This is the creation of nature-dedicated multi-hectare areas that enhance local biodiversity, provide a food base for wild pollinators and a refuge for many bird species, including protected species. We educate about the value of such areas, the role and ecosystem services that wildflower meadows provide. In 2022, we sowed wildflower meadow and mixed grazing meadow seeds over an area of about 50 ha;
• planting trees and shrubs in parks, squares and near schools and kindergartens along the construction of new wind farm projects, in consultation with municipalities and local communities. Planting native species also means educating local communities about the important role of trees in mitigating and combating climate change. It is also about showing how important green areas are in the lives of local people and what an important food and shelter base they provide for locally occurring animals;
• protection of animal species occurring in and near our projects (e.g. active conservation of the Montagu’s harrier, hanging bird and bat boxes under environmental supervision). It is also about protecting animals during environmental supervision on construction sites – proper fencing of excavations and training of subcontractors on wildlife-safe construction, creation of secondary habitats and planning of construction works to mitigate any impact on protected valuable natural habitats (e.g. use of directional drilling techniques), plants and animals.