Iberdrola is helping Ukraine. The company has delivered electrical material to the country invaded by Russia that it had requested through European organisations. Basically, these are generators and electrical components valued at 53,000 euros.
In mid-March, Iberdrola set out to meet the request for electrical components made by Ukraine through Eurolectric and Aelec, the European and national organisations that encompass electricity companies. It had sent them a list of humanitarian needs for electrical equipment. The request had been made by the Ukrainians through the international organisation Energy Community, of which the country is a member, and which collaborates with the European Commission to obtain material for its electrical system.
This list included the needs detected by the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and the sectors for which the order would be destined. From i-DE, Iberdrola’s subsidiary in charge of electricity distribution, they contacted their usual logistics operator to make an economic and delivery estimate for some of the materials.
We finally decided to purchase the materials: two electric generators, one of 68KW and the other of 40KW; tools and pressure spanners; 25 LED spotlights; 200 metal cutting discs; 200 units of glass insulators; 2,000 metres of cable and 1,000 litres of motor oil. In total, the cost of the material amounts to 53,000 euros, which has finally been paid by the Iberdrola Foundation.
The electricity company’s logistics department was responsible for documenting the donation and coordinating the delivery. The final recipients of our aid were the company DTEK, the country’s electricity distributor to its various businesses (networks, coal and generation). The Ukrainian Ministry of Energy itself has also received the motor oil.
Much of the selected material was ordered by DTEK. It is one of the most important distributors in Ukraine and is a member of EDSO, the association of European distributors, of which i-DE is also a member. In addition, DTEK had made an appeal for assistance directly to EDSO, of which Iberdrola was aware and was receptive to help.
Once all the material was prepared and received by Iberdrola’s logistics operator at the beginning of April, all the necessary documentary procedures were carried out through the Energy Community to deliver the goods. This entire operation was carried out in coordination with the Cenem (National Emergency Centre of the Directorate General for Civil Protection and Emergencies). Basically, it was a matter of managing the collection of the material from the warehouse located in the Madrid town of Meco where Iberdrola had left the material.
The company asked the Energy Community to take charge of the collection and transport of the material deposited in Meco to wherever they considered necessary to ensure its arrival at the indicated destination.
Cenem was responsible for paying the 7,800 euros for transport, and for ensuring that the packaging of the material was correct. It also provided instructions on how to prepare and identify it properly.
The material was picked up from Amara’s warehouse on 25 April and from there it was transported to Poland. On 2 May, Energy Community informed Iberdrola that they had oral confirmation that the shipment had arrived in Kovel, Ukraine.
Eight tonnes of humanitarian supplies
To date, Iberdrola has sent to Ukraine more than eight tonnes of humanitarian material donated by its employees through its corporate volunteer network in Spain. Among the basic necessities provided are first aid, orthopaedic, hygiene and sanitary products, as well as shelter, food, warm clothing, blankets and quilts.
This initiative has been developed within the Volunteers for Ukraine programme launched by the company since the beginning of this crisis. The company is also raising funds, doubling the amounts donated by its employees. It has been delivered to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide shelter, immediate food and emergency care to the thousands of people who are leaving Ukraine and gathering at the borders. The Iberdrola Foundation donated one million euros to UNHCR and the Red Cross to support their work.
The company will also support Ukrainian refugees arriving in Spain through its Iberdrola Volunteering for Refugees initiative. Since 2015, this initiative has already helped more than a thousand refugees from other armed conflicts, such as Syria, Palestine, Afghanistan and Mali.
In addition, Iberdrola sent a first batch of 20 generators to Ukraine to maintain the operation of special services such as hospitals, shelters or water treatment plants.
Iberdrola’s volunteering programme has been the only Spanish company to be recognised as a pioneering practice by the United Nations in its ‘Transforming Lives and Communities’ report, published in September 2021. This programme has already been awarded by IMPACT2030 with the 2018 Innovation Award in recognition of its innovative approaches to advancing the SDGs through its human capital.
