Transitioning away from fossil fuels to renewable energy is fundamental to solving the biodiversity crisis, as climate change is a main driver of biodiversity loss. The space required for the renewable energy transition is significant, and, with a nature in crisis, it is vital that we make sure our energy projects benefit nature. In 2024, we continued taking action to deliver on our ambition to achieve a net-positive biodiversity impact from all new renewable energy projects from 2030.

In addition to the operational sites, we had 12 assets under construction in 2024, which were identified as material sites that temporarily have activities negatively affecting biodiversity-sensitive areas. These sites are listed in the table on page 114 and include nine offshore wind and three solar PV projects. At the offshore construction sites, biodiversity impacts were primarily associated with monopile piling, which generates noise pollution, and cable laying, which disrupts benthic and intertidal habitats. Additionally, the increased vessel traffic during construction caused further disruption to the ecosystem through noise pollution. For the solar PV assets under construction, biodiversity impacts were primarily due to land clearing and cable laying, which caused temporary habitat disruption and species displacement. Additionally, the operation of machinery contributed to noise pollution. All these impacts are appropriately managed or mitigated through implementation of measures agreed through impact assessment and permitting processes.