In 2024, we laid the foundation for many of the initiatives currently in progress for managing our negative impact and risks associated with failing to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ensuring FPIC in our own operations. We began by developing a global guidance for social and human rights impact assessments, which will allow us to proactively manage these risks and impacts before the construction of new projects.

Furthermore, we finalised our internal guidelines for free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), a framework designed to ensure respectful and transparent engagement with Indigenous communities. These guidelines guarantee that we secure consent from Indigenous communities before initiating projects that might impact their lands or cultural heritage.

Engagement occurs at various frequencies and at various stages of a project. Our aim is to initiate early dialogue during the planning phase to gather the insights and concerns of the affected communities. This takes place through e.g. our community liaison officers and project staff employing different types of interaction, such as public meetings and consultations to facilitate open communication. When we employ community liaison officers in our projects, they often come from the communities we engage with, helping us gain a profound understanding of the local contexts. We continue this dialogue through the development, construction, and operation phases of our renewable energy assets.