REN’s contribution to the community is significant, both through the direct benefit of its activities and the good corporate citizenship shown in several areas. In addition to performing a strategic role in the Portuguese economy, particularly in the energy sector, REN defends the principles of sustainable development, thereby adopting an ethical and socially responsible management model.
As in previous years, REN developed its philanthropic activity through money contributions to several associations. REN supported initiatives of several municipalities and parishes as well as students’ associations and amateur sports clubs. The focus on young people led REN to sponsor several initiatives of child development centres and youth centres in several regions of Portugal.
For the third year running, REN financially supported the Portuguese Physics Society in the MEDEA project. This project encourages secondary school students to draft a paper on measures of very low frequency electromagnetic fields, close to the school, at home and in the neighbourhood of lines of electrical energy transmission and to search for scientifically reliable information about possible effects of these fields on human health.
In 2010, the first place was awarded ex aequo to Escola Secundária José Estevão de Aveiro, to Os Radiantes from Agrupamento de Escolas José Sanches de Alcains and to Os Hertzianos from Escola Secundária D. Manuel I de Beja. Os LSD and Os Voltpormetro from Escola Secundária de Lousada, and Onda Ocidental from Escola 2,3/S Pe. Maurício de Freitas, EBS das Flores, Azores, received honourable mentions.
Overall, 110 students from 20 Portuguese secondary schools participated.
REN also contributed to initiatives of the Law Faculty and Economics Faculty of Universidade do Porto, of the Faculty of Science and Technology of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, of Instituto Superior Técnico, of Universidade Técnica de Lisboa and of Universidade de Coimbra.
REN consolidated its support to various social institutions, such as the Centro de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Infantil (CADIN), an institution with an important role in the support of children and youth with special needs. Aware of the importance of its collaboration, REN extended its help to Banco Alimentar contra a Fome and Ajuda de Berço. REN supported União Humanitária dos Doentes com Cancro and Abraço. Regarding help to Haiti, REN contributed to the initiatives of AMI, Portuguese Cáritas, Médicos do Mundo and Centro Español Lisboa.
“Bring a toy, a garment… something that helps to create smiles” was the motto for the Christmas campaign carried out by REN’s employees jointly with ENTRAJUDA. This initiative brought joy to associations of children solidarity, namely the Associação Criança e Vida, in Porto, and the Centro Social do Bairro 6 de Maio, in Amadora.
With this in mind, REN spent in 2010 721.500,00€ in donations.