E.ON on its website at www.eonenergy.com state that: “We are one of the UK’s leading power and gas companies-generating electricity, and retailing power and gas-and we’re part of the E.ON group, one of the world’s largest investor owned power and gas companies. We employ around twelve thousand people in the UK and more than seventy nine thousand worldwide” Their vision is to be customer trusted.
The green credentials of E.ON, in summary: E.ON state that they are improving their gas, coal and oil fired power stations and are producing more energy from renewable sources like wind and water. They currently own twenty one wind farms, a biomass plant at Lockerbie and the first wave power generator in the UK.
E.ON are also partners in the world’s largest offshore wind farms, London Array and have gained planning consent for a 230MW offshore wind farm, Humber Gateway, which is off the east coast of Yorkshire. In 2010, they installed their first wave energy device, the next generation Pelamis wave Energy Converter at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney… E.ON are also testing a marine energy device at EMEC, which is the only grid connected marine test facility in Europe. The success of the project will enable E.ON, to move on to the next phase of marine energy development, which is to install larger arrays around the UK coastline, similar to their proposed Orkney Waters Wave Farm Projects.
Steven’s Croft is the biggest biomass plant in Scotland and generates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 70,000 homes every year. According to E.ON the £90m scheme, which was opened by First Minister for Scotland Alex Salmond, displaces up to 140,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year. Steven’s Croft also saw a further significant investment in local and regional economy. It created 40 direct jobs and helps to maintain up to 300 indirect jobs in the local forestry industry. E.ON also state that local farming also benefits from the long term, low risk energy crop initiative developed by them. In December 2007, Steven’s Croft was named Scotland’s best renewable energy project at Scottish Renewables’ Green Energy Awards.
E.ON as well as having green credentials, are looking to make a difference out in the community. Working with charity partners, local groups, schools and councils: “we try very hard to help people who really need support to control their energy use-not in a gimmicky way, but in ways that they actually want to be helped”. They further state that “in recent years, we’ve worked with charities like Age UK and Action for Children to make sure we do things that are genuinely useful”. Instead of spreading themselves too thinly E.ON have chosen to work in some of the UK’s most deprived areas and have a dedicated Community Relations team working locally to listen and understand before working with communities to find solutions.