Environmental management
ISA proactively contributes to global environmental challenges by inspiring others for the benefit of humanity.
ISA acts on the following areas
BIODIVERSITY
ISA works for the protection of ecosystems and biodiversity.
ISA is committed to identifying, evaluating, and implementing environmental strategies that allow us to preserve and protect the ecosystems in our areas of influence. The aim is to mitigate the impact of change and to leave a better planet for future generations.
ISA takes responsible actions in favor of the environment and biodiversity, avoiding the affectation of sensitive species and ecosystems, mitigating, and offsetting the impacts of its activities.
ISA closely monitors the life cycle of our assets to prevent, control, mitigate, and offset environmental impacts through different tools:
- ARPEX (Environmental Restriction Analysis in Expansion Plans) and ARA (Environmental Restriction Analysis) tools are implemented to help optimize the design of transmission lines to avoid and minimize their environmental impacts.
- DAA (Diagnosis of Environmental Alternatives) and EIA (Environmental Impact Studies) provide further details to minimize biodiversity risks.
- PMA (Environmental Management Plan) includes activities aimed at mitigating, offsetting, and preventing impacts on biodiversity. The plan is applied to all situations of the assets’ life cycle.
- ISA respects, promotes, and complies with the legislation established in each country where the company operates.
Impact offsetting
We are working to achieve mandatory and voluntary goals to offset our impact on biodiversity.
The mandatory goals to which we are committed are imposed by the corresponding environmental authority, created under a methodology that ensures the No Net Loss of Biodiversity.
594,99 ha of mandatory offsets implemented that are in the maintenance and monitoring stage, through different strategies such as planting, transplanting and conservation of strategic areas, with the understanding that the offset is a process of constant maintenance and monitoring.
Through voluntary actions, we go above and beyond obligations
Our goal is to leave a legacy to raise awareness, inspire, excite, transform and transcend for generations. We are sure that the best footprint is the protection of biodiversity and the mitigation of climate change. These are the main topics of the global agenda, which will shape the future of the human race. For this purpose, we have embarked on a path that seeks to protect the jaguar, biodiversity, and the forests of Latin America, which are major global carbon reservoirs.
Alianzas
Exploramos y motivamos relaciones orientadas a la conservación y protección de la biodiversidad de acuerdo con las prioridades nacionales, internacionales y regionales.
Consollidamos alianzas con instituciones ambientales, incluyendo autoridades nacionales, ONGs y empresas.
CLIMATE CHANGE
To mitigate climate change, ISA counts on joint actions of governments, the society, and companies that seek the offsetting of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions.
In addition to identifying and optimizing potential GHG sources, ISA offset its emissions through carbon credits generated in Conexión Jaguar projects, thus seeking to make ISA carbon neutral.
Mitigación
Para aportar a la mitigación del cambio climático, nos alineamos con las acciones conjuntas de gobiernos, sectores sociales y empresas que buscan la compensación de las emisiones de Gases Efectos Invernadero (GEI).
GESTIÓN DE FUGAS DE SF6
Durante el 2016 establecimos una meta corporativa enfocada en la reducción de nuestras emisiones directas, la cual consiste en disminuir al 2020 las fugas de SF6 que se tenían en dicho año en más del 50%, lo que equivale a evitar la emisión de aproximadamente 18.500 toneladas de carbono equivalente.
Para el logro de este objetivo, establecimos metas específicas y anuales para nuestras empresas, donde aquellas que aún no cumplen con el estándar de la Comisión Electrotécnica Internacional (IEC), la cual establece que las fugas no deben ser mayores al 0.5% del SF6 instalado, deberán reducir en un 10% las fugas del año anterior hasta conseguir estar por debajo de este estándar antes de 2020.
Para el logro de la meta propuesta para este año y tener un mejoramiento continuo, durante el 2019 diseñamos un plan específico de trabajo para la gestión óptima del SF6, que nos ayudó a alcanzar las siguientes metas:
El gas SF6 se utiliza para aislar equipos de subestaciones con más de 35.000 Voltios en dispositivos de redes eléctricas. El gas SF6 ayuda a evitar desastres, pero el gas en sí conlleva algunos inconvenientes y debe mantenerse dentro de las carcasas de los equipos.
Adaptación
En los lugares donde operamos existe una baja contribución a las emisiones globales de GEI, pero una alta vulnerabilidad a los efectos del cambio climático. Por esto, hemos implementado diferentes medidas de mitigación del impacto del cambio climático en las que consideramos los riesgos relevantes que pueden aumentar estos efectos:
Gestión de riesgos
Identificamos los riesgos que tienen el potencial de generar un cambio significativo en las operaciones de nuestros negocios.
Riesgos derivados del cambio en la regulación:
Consideramos principalmente la intensificación en la gestión ambiental de los proyectos de infraestructura relacionados con las medidas de mitigación y/o adaptación y el incremento en la compensación de las emisiones de GEI.
Riesgos derivados del cambio en los parámetros físicos:
Correspondientes a la intensidad de los fenómenos climáticos (Fenómenos de El Niño y La Niña), con consecuencias como:
• Caída de líneas de transmisión.
• Cambio en los criterios de diseño.
• Debilitamiento de los cimientos, entre otros.
Opportunities
The ISA2030 Strategy – Sustainable Value, includes goals to start operations in new energy businesses to diversify its business portfolio and positively impact the environment thanks to key actions such as the decarbonization of the energy system. After this analysis, four business lines were prioritized:
- Energy Storage.
- Distributed Energy Resources -DER-
- Grid connection for renewable energy projects.
- Regional Energy Integration.
ECO-EFFICIENCY
It is the production of goods and services with lower consumption of supplies and raw materials, reducing the environmental impact.
In 2019 our companies set a goal of reducing water and energy consumption and waste generation (ordinary and hazardous) by 5%.
A reduction of approximately 320 tons CO2e was set as a goal. Results were positive, as the goal was exceeded with a total of 413 tons CO2e avoided by eco-efficiency actions.
ISA REP is committed to a 10% impact reduction. ISA INTERCHILE and ISA TRANSELCA subsequently began measuring their consumption and generations to set their short-term goal. Compliance status of the goal in our companies is shown in the table.
Eco-efficiency actions
To positively impact the planet, we need to move from diagnosis to action. The strategies developed in our companies are the following.
Water consumption (m3)
Considering the low impact that water consumption implies for the Energy Transmission business, despite its intensity, by 2020 the goal of 1% reduction in energy consumption is established based on the average of the years from 2015 to 2017.
We highlight the implementation of:
- Rainwater harvesting
- Atmospheric water generators
- Dry toilets
- Efficient faucets
- Collection of water from air conditioning systems
Energy consumption (MWh)
Considering the low impact that energy consumption implies for the Energy Transmission business, despite its intensity, for the year 2020 the goal of 1% reduction in energy consumption was established based on the average of the years from 2015 to 2017. 66% of the energy consumed by ISA and its affiliates is of renewable origin.
We highlight the implementation of:
- 100% renewable energy consumption at ISA’s headquarters in Medellín (14% generated with photovoltaic panels and the rest purchased with I-REC certificates).
- Campaigns for the proper use of natural resources
- Replacement of light fixtures with LED technology in substations and administrative offices.
WASTE DISPOSAL
Considering the low impact of waste disposal for the Energy Transmission business, despite its intensity, by 2020 a target of 1% reduction in waste disposal was set based on the average of the years from 2015 to 2017.
We highlight the implementation of:
- Agreements with local waste management entities to increase the percentage of recycled waste.
- Campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of sorting waste and making proper use of resources.
- Use of organic waste generated by the maintenance of green areas.
“En La Movida” Sustainable Mobility
For us, sustainability is an integral topic of which we are all a part. To mitigate the impact of climate change, our employees have implemented mobility practices that are responsible with the planet.
With the goal to promote a culture of efficient, sustainable, and safe mobility practices, five years ago, we started the development of the “En la Movida” program in the city of Medellín.
- With our sustainable mobility program “En la Movida,” we comply with regulations proposed by the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley in resolution 1379 of 2017, which requires large companies to create a Sustainable Business Mobility Plan (MES Plans) to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%. In 2021, we were recognized by the same environmental authority as sustainable mobility ambassadors in the Aburrá Valley, thanks to strategies proposed within the organization whereby we seek to encourage new sustainable means of transportation to achieve the proposed objective.
- Since 2017, we have been part of the Air Quality Agreement of Medellín.
- Our affiliate Sistemas Inteligentes en Red developed the Appimotion Sustainable Mobility application to directly support the management of our program. This mobile tool allows us to track the emissions avoided thanks to our mobility practices within the organization.
- After 5 years of program implementation, thanks to the strategies proposed and the changes in employee mobility, we have avoided the emission of 955 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, of which 747 tons were avoided thanks to teleworking/working from home and 139,7 tons were avoided by the use of company routes that’s include INTERCOLOMBIA, XM, ISA, INTERNEXA.
- In 2021, we managed to avoid the emission of 313,79 tons of CO2eq just for La Movida program in Medellin- Colombia that included INTERCOLOMBIA, XM, ISA, INTERNEXA.
- By 2021, we set a teleworking emissions reduction target of 591.66 tons of CO2 equivalent in all of subsidiaries of ISA, achieving up to 3.6 times of the proposed target with 2.145 tons of CO2 equivalent.
Did you know that we are a members of various covenants, manifests and environmental societies?
Environmental management in figures
COP
Equivalent to the energy consumption of 2.965 households in one year
12 12 habitats protected and restored
Equivalent to the consumption of 1.432 soccer fields
Information as of December 2020
Conexión Jaguar is ISA’s flagship sustainability program. Together with its technical allies South Pole and Panthera, Conexión Jaguar contributes to:
The conservation of the biodiversity related to natural habitats of the jaguar.
Climate change mitigation.
Development of rural communities.
