The ability to federate all the stakeholders in a territory is one of the main strengths of an URBACT project. Public sector, associations, private partners can meet, exchange, act together in a common objective for sustainable urban development. Urb-En Pact brings together all those who have a role to play in the energy transition of cities. Dr Antonios Mountouris, Chemical Engineer, Head of Group Environmental Management & Sustainable Development Department at Hellenic Petroleum Group of Company (Elefsina - Greece), talks about the inclusion of his company in the Urban Energy Pact project.
- What piqued your interest in joining the ULG team of the European Urb En Pact program?
The European Urb En Pact program’s main objective for all participants in the local community to cooperate and contribute to the energy transition, towards a climate-neutral, circular economy was the main subject of interest and strong incentive for the HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group’s participation. As a leading provider of energy products in the area and a key player in accelerating the energy transition, we immediately considered that our role in the local ULG group’s programs is particularly important.
- How is the cooperation so far with the team of the Municipality od Elefsina, member of the Urb-En Pact network?
Our cooperation with the Municipality on this specific program has been excellent and is a continuation of our long-standing collaboration on social responsibility issues and in supporting the development of local communities. Specifically, the municipal team coordinating this program has demonstrated particular skills in communicating and promoting synergies with all the stakeholders in the area.
- What have you gained from your cooperation with the Municipality of Elefsina?
From our cooperation with the Municipality of Elefsina so far, it is obvious that there is a will and focus for broader cooperation with the aim of promoting and strengthening energy saving, circular economy and carbon footprint reduction programs, so that the Municipality of Elefsina can become a pioneer in addressing climate change.
- How has your company contributed to the project?
The HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group has contributed to the program by actively participating in all program meetings, by presenting its strategy for energy transition and cooperation with local communities and finally by participating in small-scale actions.
In particular, the Group participated in the small-scale actions program with the "EARTH 2030" suitcase, which included original educational material aimed at disseminating the 17 Sustainable Development Goals to students at all levels. The "EARTH 2030" suitcase was used within the framework of the URBENPACT project whereby 4 schools in Elefsina were visited in total in 2021, raising awareness among students and teachers who not only learned about current environmental and social issues, but also contributed in solving urban challenges in an enjoyable way. This initial activity constituted the basis for expanding the Group's cooperation with the educational community in order to enable more schools to participate in the future.
- What are the company's goals for 2050 regarding the reduction of the carbon footprint & ZeroNet Energy
The HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group is rapidly transforming following the "Vision 2025" compass, which is the new strategic business plan for transformation and sustainable development. Regarding climate change issues, the HELLENIC PETROLEUM Group has set a target to reduce its overall carbon footprint by 50% until 2030, specifically a 30% reduction in direct Scope 1 emissions compared to 2019 and by avoiding an additional 20% from the installation and operation of renewable energy sources, in alignment with the target for a climate neutral economy by 2050. Specifically in terms of RES projects, our target is to develop a Renewable Energy Sources portfolio with installed capacity of approximately 600 MW by 2025 and over 2GW by 2030.
- How do you perceive your future cooperation with the Municipality with a common goal -a vision of zero energy consumption from conventional sources and in general the energy transition?
In the context of implementing our strategy for a net zero footprint by 2050, our future cooperation with the municipality is of particular importance for us, not only in terms of the energy transition required for all activities in the country, but more specifically for those of the communities located in the areas in which we operate. In particular, we believe that we can contribute significantly by communicating good climate change mitigation practices and by implementing related projects. In any case, we already have active partnerships with various local communities in energy saving projects and installation of photovoltaic panels in schools, and in the future, such partnerships to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions will multiply. Even as a Group we are focusing on improving energy efficiency, in 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels, blue and green hydrogen production and waste recovery technologies, energy storage infrastructure and biorefineries, so accordingly even more opportunities for cooperation will soon be created to achieve our common goal - a vision of a climate-neutral economy.