Biodiversity

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity is the variety of life on Earth – from plants and animals to fungi and microorganisms, and the ecosystems they form. Together, these living things, and their habitats provide vital services such as clean water and air, pollination, healthy soils, and climate regulation.

However, biodiversity is under threat. Pollution, resource overexploitation, land use and climate change are accelerating the decline biological diversity (at genetic, species or ecosystem level). The loss of biodiversity loss can destabilise ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people and the planet.

The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) defines the international response to biodiversity loss. Adopted under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, it sets global targets to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Some of our core markets are now translating this global ambition into national policies. The UK is among the first countries to implement a net positive biodiversity requirement in its law. Under the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) mandate, developers must leave nature in a measurably better state – by at least 10% – post-development.

Protecting biodiversity is one of RWE's strategic goals. As we expand and transform our clean energy portfolio, we aim to protect and enhance the ecosystems we all depend on. We fully recognise the value of biodiversity and aim to integrate it into every phase of our projects – from planning and design through to construction, operation, and decommissioning.

We explore innovations that support the shift toward a nature-positive economy. In Italy, our agri-PV projects optimize land use through the combination of agriculture and energy generation. Hence, we create economic value, and support biodiversity by reducing land pressure.

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We want to reduce the impact of our business activities on habitats and species

We intend for new assets to have a net positive impact on biodiversity from 2030 onwards, with the goal of measuring biodiversity impact for all assets by 2028.

Aligning ourselves with national and global nature-positive ambitions, while understanding that declaring a company-wide 'nature positive' goal is not realistic today – so we emphasise concrete, verifiable biodiversity gains at the project scale.

At our UK solar farms and co-located storage projects, we aim to deliver on average five times the national requirement for biodiversity net gain (i. e. 50 %). You can learn more here.

Aerial view of solar panels on green grass with sheep grazing between the rows.

We follow a four-step approach towards reaching
a net-positive impact on biodiversity

1. Understand and measure impact

Understand and measure impact

We understand the impacts and dependencies on biodiversity and can quantify them. We have measures for potential impact mitigation and restoration, and know their effectiveness.

The SeaMe research project aims to enhance the understanding of interactions between offshore wind farms and marine ecosystems using advanced monitoring technologies

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2. Positive contribution

Positive contribution

We go beyond legal requirements and actively search for biodiversity enhancement potential in and around our sites.

At Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the UK, 2,500 juvenile lobsters have been released in partnership with the Whitby Lobster Hatchery to support marine biodi-versity, with potential to scale up to 15,000 over the next three years.

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3. Net-zero impact

Net-zero impact

In the EU and UK, regulations require us to mitigate or compensate for impacts on nature by following the mitigation hierarchy. We are working to fully understand our impacts and to develop new methods to avoid, mitigate, and offset them – aiming to achieve net zero or no net loss.

The DemoSATH Lab initiative in Spain studies the interactions of birds and marine ecosystems with floating offshore wind turbines.

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4. Net-positive impact

Net-positive impact

We demonstrably increase local biodiversity compared to the baseline with prov-en measures.

The solar plant Cotmoor in the UK will achieve 65% biodiversity net-gain through a combination of proven enhancement measures.

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Projects promoting biodiversity in
renewables

Sustainable ecosystem approach in monitoring the marine environment

At our Kaskasi Offshore Wind Farm, we are pioneering less invasive, AI-driven and sustainable techniques to monitor biodiversity.

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Installing artificial reef cubes to enhance marine biodiversity

In partnership with ARC Marine at the Rampion Offshore Wind Farm in the UK, artificial reef cubes® are imple-mented to enhance marine biodiver-sity, with plans to install up to 70,000 reef cubes® and monitor results.

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Together with local partners for more biodiversity around our sites

At solar farms like the Mesquite Solar Complex in the USA, preservation and education initiatives are promoted in partnership with local authorities.

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Projects promoting biodiversity in
phase-out technologies

Forest reforestation

Over decades of reforestation, more than 10 million trees have been planted. Today, as part of these res-toration efforts, 90 % of trees planted are native species. Other climate-resilient tree species are also used.

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Agricultural recultivation

Beyond farmland restoration through soil productivity, measures such as flower strips and permanent green spaces are implemented to create habitats and improve the landscape.

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Pioneering biodiversity solutions in the energy sector
through collaborative innovation

As a member of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) Corporate Engagement Program, we have tested and shared insights on preliminary nature-related guidelines. This engagement helps tailor methodologies to the energy sector and contributes to shaping emerging biodiversity standards.

We are aware that methodologies and frameworks for measuring and delivering net-positive impact are still evolving. And therefore, we are committed to knowledge and best-practices exchange. We actively invite stakeholders to collaborate in working to better understand the impact and measurement of biodiversity enhancement measures.

Yellow and purple flowers bloom with a bee, set against a backdrop of solar panels in the background.

For example, in our offshore business we use Innovation Competitions, helping us to identify solutions in the domains of ecology, system integration and circularity in offshore wind. RWE invites start-ups, scale-ups, research institutes as well as other individuals and organisations to propose an innovative solution in any of the domains.

Further information

A coastal scene featuring wind turbines in the distance, with shrubs and grass in the foreground under a cloudy sky.

Natalie Rothausen

Group Lead Biodiversity

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Biodiversity

RWE's commitment to biodiversity and sustainable energy solutions

What is biodiversity?

We want to reduce the impact of our business activities on habitats and species