Gas Natural SDG : Fenosa launches a national plan for vulnerable individuals and allocates 4.5 million euros

• The nationwide plan strengthens actions already being undertaken by the company and includes some 20 measures aimed at serving and protecting vulnerable customers.

• The program includes proactive measures for collaborations with municipal social services and Community Sector entities on their work with the most vulnerable individuals.

• The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation is expanding its strategic lines of action to promote efforts aimed at alleviating energy poverty.

• Among other initiatives, the company has strengthened its vulnerability team, now with approximately 60 people, who will roll out support and advisory measures throughout Spain to vulnerable individuals as well as local, regional and national administrations.

• Gas Natural Fenosa has more than 400 bilateral agreements in place with administrations across Spain, enabling it to protect 93% of its customers nationwide.

GAS NATURAL FENOSA is set to allocate 4.5 million euros to launch a new Energy Vulnerability Plan across Spain. The goal of the programme is to intensify actions already being undertaken, standardise the management of vulnerable customers and strengthen its collaboration with public administrations and Community Sector entities.

The initiatives, approved by the Board of Directors and which are already being launched, enable the company to comprehensively monitor potentially vulnerable customers. These actions are part of GAS NATURAL FENOSA's commitment to situations of vulnerability.

Operational measures

The company is creating a Vulnerability Services Unit to monitor all cases of customers who may find themselves in a vulnerable situation. In addition to this Unit, the company will create a Special Group Management Team. This has meant that, since January 2017, Gas Natural Fenosa has had a team of approximately 60 people working to serve vulnerable citizens.

In line with these two new units, GAS NATURAL FENOSA has launched a free phone line to serve customers in vulnerable situations (900 724 900).

As part of the actions planned, GAS NATURAL FENOSA will train its teams and collaborating companies on what to do in situations of vulnerability. It will also design measures to identify risk situations for potentially vulnerable customers and take action.

The set of measures also includes offering flexible bill payments to vulnerable customers, expanding the repayment period to two years and eliminating the upfront fee.

Social initiatives through the Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation

The Gas Natural Fenosa Foundation is refocusing its activity to give greater weight to social initiatives, especially those aimed at alleviating energy vulnerability.

Through its foundation, Gas Natural Fenosa is launching a set of assistance measures for social entities that work with vulnerable individuals. The objective is for these Community Sector entities to gain additional resources to develop energy-efficiency and safety initiatives for homes. In collaboration with several non-profit entities, the Foundation will collaborate on seeking alternatives to help people affected by specific problems that lead to energy poverty.

Another of the initiatives will oversee the establishment of the Energy Efficiency School, aimed at supporting community-sector entities. The school will provide staff, who will advise and train on energy vulnerability to municipal social services.

Moreover, in 2017 the Foundation will promote, coordinate and fund a charitable corporate volunteering programme. The company is already working with other foundations to develop a pilot programme aimed at energy rehabilitation and conservation in buildings where vulnerable groups live.

Proactive policy to combat energy poverty

The energy company has always had a proactive policy to combat energy poverty, covering more than 93% of its customers in Spain and based on agreements, cooperation and information from municipal social services.

GAS NATURAL FENOSA currently has agreements in place with eight autonomous regions (Cantabria, Castile-La Mancha, Castile-Leon, Community of Madrid, Galicia, Community of Valencia, Navarre and Basque Country), major cities like Zaragoza and Seville, as well as supramunicipal entities like the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona which encompasses 36 Catalan municipalities.

To date, Gas Natural Fenosa has stopped supply cut-offs to 18,000 vulnerable customers in 1,175 towns across the country, whose situations were reported by local governments.

Barcelona, 31 January 2017.