Engaging  communities

⁽¹⁾ Beneficiaries are individuals who are expected to benefit from the implementation of a project. Enel considers only the beneficiaries for the current year. The number of beneficiaries considers the activities and projects carried out in all the areas in which the Group operates. 
⁽²⁾ The 2022 value is not comparable with the 2023 figure due to a methodological change that led to the adoption of new criteria. 

Managing community relations in the areas where Enel operates is crucial to all its activities, and involves incorporating the needs of local communities into the development of activities, from the growth of renewables to the digitalization of grids and the electrification of uses.
Engaging communities and understanding the different contexts in which the Group operates is therefore essential to develop a sustainable business that minimizes impacts while promoting inclusive and equitable growth in the local area. From the very early stages of business project development, Enel engages with local stakeholders by raising awareness and providing information on mutual benefits, the strategic role of the electricity industry in the energy transition, and the challenge of climate change. Joint sustainability plans are defined, which include the implementation of practices and solutions to ensure that assets are as sustainable and integrated as possible with the local area.

Establishing and maintaining stable, long-term relationships with communities can help identify new opportunities for development and integration with the local area, and avoid potential conflicts that could lead to delays in implementing key business activities for energy transition

Recognizing that the Group’s activities can have a direct and indirect impact on the communities in which it operates, Enel has adopted a shared value creation model together with the communities throughout the entire value chain. This model integrates social and environmental sustainability criteria into the various processes from the first stages of development (“sustainability by design”), focusing on solutions promoting circularity, technological innovation, and harmonious integration with the local area. The key aspect of this model is engaging communities, which begins at the planning stage and enables the Group to identify the needs of the communities within its sphere of influence. Consultation and consensus building with local communities help to identify the potential impact of Enel’s activities on them as comprehensively as possible, and to take these impacts into account when designing business activities.

Additional initiatives are then implemented throughout the lifecycle of each asset as events or needs arise during facility construction, day-to-day activities, plant operations, and stakeholder interactions to ensure continuous dialogue.

Targeted actions are also taken in the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as natural disasters or social unrest, which cause significant damage to the Group’s assets, the local area and communities, and significantly affect people’s wellbeing and safety.

The communities living in the areas of influence of Enel’s plants have differing characteristics given the different contexts in which the facilities are located.
Plants from renewable sources (hydroelectric, geothermal, solar and wind) are characterized by their proximity to natural resources; therefore, the surrounding communities are predominantly rural or isolated, as is the case with indigenous and tribal peoples, and are partially involved in the life of those power plants. The benefits of this engagement include the possibility of seizing employment opportunities, as well as participating in vocational training initiatives boosting access to the labor market as a result of the transition to green technologies, paying attention to the reduction of the gender gap and/or basic training in territories with low levels of education.
Thermal power plants are generally located in industrialized contexts with a high population density, including areas characterized by extensive social vulnerability.
Distribution networks, on the other hand, cover a wide range of contexts: pylons, poles and transformer cabins are located in uninhabited areas, run underground under city streets (especially in Europe), or characterize urban profiles where community spaces are shared, bringing electricity into homes. In particular, especially in Latin America, the strong push for urbanization is leading to the rapid growth of suburbs populated by low-income communities, and a reliable service network becomes the enabler for the sustainable development of these neighborhoods.