CMP parent corp lauded for sustainability policies

AUGUSTA, Maine - IBERDROLA, the corporate parent of Iberdrola USA and Central Maine Power Company (CMP), has been acknowledged as the most sustainable Spanish utility and the third most sustainable utility worldwide, according to the ranking drawn up by Newsweek magazine in collaboration with Corporate Knights Capital.

IBERDROLA is also ranked as one of the top three Spanish companies with the most respect for sustainable development. It was commended for environmental strategies to promote technologies to reduce emissions, to increase energy efficiency, and to improve reporting on environmental progress.

“We are proud to be part of a global leader in sustainability,” says CMP President and CEO Sara Burns. “These values are shared by Iberdrola companies around the world. At CMP, for example, it’s reflected in the way we manage the vegetation in our corridors; our smart meters, which reduce our CO2 emissions from vehicles by 1,400 tons annually and help consumers save energy; and our efforts to encourage wider use of electric vehicles by non-profit organizations, businesses, and municipal vehicle fleets.”

Many of CMP’s environmental achievements have happened at its North Augusta Service Center - a state-of-the-art, centralized, facility responsible for the maintenance, repair, and storage of transformers and other power system equipment. The facility also handles hazardous waste storage and disposal for CMP and was Maine’s first licensed hazardous waste facility.

CMP has also been working with PhD students at the University of Maine to study vernal pools, is cooperating in a Kestrel population study by allowing nesting boxes to be installed at the edge of its transmission rights-of-way, and has successfully relocated many osprey nests from transmission structures to nearby platforms, ensuring the birds’ safety and improving power-system reliability.

Iberdrola and its subsidiaries are leaders in promoting sustainable and competitive energy models, including development of solar energy. Recent efforts include Iberdrola’s investment in the Silicon Valley firm QBOTIX, which develops robotic technology that can help to reduce the development and operation costs for renewable generation facilities. Additionally, Iberdrola Renewables, based in Portland, Ore., generates power from more than 40 renewable energy projects across the U.S.

IBERDROLA has been featured in numerous other sustainability rankings, including the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index, the FTSE 4Good Index, the 2013 Sustainability Yearbook, the 2012-2013 European Business Awards, and the Two Tomorrows ranking.