We are convinced that the only way to secure our business in the long-term is to make a proactive contribution to developing the regions in which we operate. As a result we are dedicated to being closely and sustainably involved in regional development. Creating jobs plays an important part of this:

A groupwide investment program worth around EUR60 billion was decided on in 2007. The renowned Bremer Energie Institut (funded by the State of Bremen) calculated that this measure was going to create 15,200 new jobs in Germany over a 35 year period. The direct effect on employment elsewhere in Europe is nearly twice as high at around 30,000 jobs. About 40 percent of these jobs will be created at E.ON while another considerable part will be with service providers and subcontractors.

The initiative SOURCE was launched by E.ON UK in 2007 to support local communities with our expertise in energy efficiency and renewables. We have made comprehensive information available on our website to offer interested parties precise help in making their community buildings and institutions more sustainable. E.ON UK has also set up a SOURCE fund offering financial support. Depending on the project at hand, funding can reach up to EUR44,000. Projects supported so far include a solar system for a public swimming pool, a wind turbine for a primary school and new insulation for a church hall.

In 2007, E.ON UK set up a fund to support local projects in the county of Kent at the same time as a third power station was being built. E.ON wants to reinforce its commitment to the community right at the beginning of construction work. Following applications for funds, about EUR147,000 is to be invested in football pitches, wheelchair ramps, community centers and playgrounds during the station’s four year construction period.

In September 2007, E.ON Nordic and the city of Malmö staged an international conference on sustainable urban development for the second time (the first was in 2005). How can we ensure an environmentally-friendly energy supply? What will the residential buildings of the future look like? How can renewables be used even more? These questions were discussed by leading experts from many different countries.

Even if we move away from communities in the isolated case that we close old plants, we do this responsibly. We set up the initiative "Future concepts power plants" after the closure of five power stations in Bavaria in 2000. The target of the initiative between E.ON Energie and the Bavarian Economics Ministry was to create sufficient alternative employment. The result of the joint project was positive: 2,100 jobs were created by 2007 – 1,400 more than the amount that were lost after the closure of the power plants.