Elia achieves first ISO 14001 environmental certification

BRUSSELS | The Belgian system operator Elia Transmission Belgium (Elia) has successfully completed its first ISO 14001 audit. Achieving this environmental certification is an important objective within Elia’s sustainability programme, ActNow. Elia’s environmental performance is now better monitored, evaluated, and optimised. ISO - the International Organization for Standardization - is an independent organisation that develops international standards, including for environmental management.

"We have worked hard for three years on a management system that maps our environmental risks and formulates achievable objectives. Almost all departments at Elia have been involved in this. I am pleased that external auditors recognise our efforts and have granted Elia the ISO 14001 environmental certificate for the first time. We have indeed made significant strides: from a new monitoring system for SF6 gas leaks, developing e-learnings around the environment, to managing incidents.”
Frédéric Dunon, CEO of Elia Transmission Belgium

The environmental management system allows for an even stronger integration of Elia’s sustainability programme, ActNow, into its operations as a grid operator. ActNow was launched in 2021. One of the objectives was to implement an environmental management system by 2024. With the achievement of the ISO 14001 environmental certificate, this goal has therefore been met. 

The audit took place at the administrative sites in Brussels (Empereur) and Gembloux (Crealys), the service centre in Liège (Bressoux), and the high-voltage stations in Drogenbos and Lixhe. The German sister company of Elia, 50Hertz, already obtained its first certification in 2022.