NRG’S GHG Reduction Goals Recognized by EPA

by Editorial Team

On March 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in collaboration with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry (TCR), recognized NRG with the Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management Climate Leadership Award. This award recognizes organizations that publicly report and verify organization-wide greenhouse gas inventories and publicly set aggressive greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. NRG joins a dozen organizations that will also be awarded during in the sixth annual Climate Leadership Awards in Chicago, IL. For the full list of winners, please see the EPA's announcement.

“We are pleased to recognize NRG Energy as a 2017 Climate Leadership Award winner,” said Bob Perciasepe, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). “Business leaders understand both the risks of climate impacts and the opportunities of a clean energy economy. NRG is helping lead the way to a more sustainable future and we hope NRG’s accomplishments will spur others to examine their practices and follow their example.”

NRG’s goal to reduce absolute CO2 emissions 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 from a 2014 baseline is also in line with the level of decarbonization required to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius compared to preindustrial temperatures, as described in the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5). NRG is also the first and only U.S. electricity generator to have climate goals approved by the organization Science Based Targets, an initiative spearheaded by Carbon Disclosure Project, UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute and the World Wildlife Fund.

“The Climate Registry applauds NRG Energy for its outstanding dedication to reducing its carbon footprint,” said David Rosenheim, Executive Director of The Climate Registry. “NRG is part of an incredibly important group of business leaders who are accelerating the shift to a more sustainable future. We hope that NRG’s ability to bring about change will inspire and empower others to act.”

The annual Climate Leadership Awards take place during the Climate Leadership Conference, which is dedicated to supporting professionals addressing global climate change through policy, innovation, and business solutions. The conference gathers leaders from business, government, academia, and the non-profit community, to explore energy and climate related solutions, introduce new ideas and provide support to leaders taking action on climate change.

To learn more about NRG’s sustainability efforts, review our sustainability page here.