ONE of the Island’s biggest energy companies expects to make ‘fundamental changes’ to meet its goal of becoming a net-zero business by 2050.
Islands Energy Group – the parent company of Island Energy, previously Jersey Gas – has published a sustainability strategy, which includes a pledge to become a net-zero business by 2050.
The first steps of the company’s journey to net zero include setting up a carbon-reporting framework to calculate its carbon footprint, and defining targets for carbon emissions.
In the long term, Islands Energy Group wants to introduce new products and technologies and explore ‘exciting sources of energy’ such as renewable gas.
The company hopes this will help to transform it into a sustainable business.
Jersey Gas was rebranded to Island Energy in 2022. Islands Energy Group also owns Guernsey Energy and Isle of Man Energy.
The strategy is divided into four pillars: climate action; protecting the environment and giving back to the community; new energy management products and services, and cleaner, greener energy.
The company had already created a dedicated team, led by chief sustainability officer Alex Herschel, to drive this work.
Ms Herschel said that each of the strategy’s four pillars outlined a key part of managing carbon emissions, supporting customers to do the same, protecting the local environment, and giving back to the local community.
She said: ‘This information then went into setting our net-zero action plan and science-based carbon reduction targets for the business.
‘We will release a sustainability report, which will show how we’re doing against our sustainability performance targets and where we need to improve our performance.’
Islands Energy Group chief executive Jo Cox said: ‘The sustainability strategy outlines fundamental changes we must make as a group to reduce our environmental impact. Every business is responsible for making positive sustainable change and, for us as an energy company, we know how significant our part to play in that is.
‘We have been taking care of the Island’s energy needs for almost 200 years and our commitment to customers and the Island remains unchanged. Our customers remain at the core of our sustainable ambitions. Energy needs to move in a new low-carbon direction. It’s a priority for our customers, our employees,and our government, and we’re responding to that.’
