Our Commitment

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

As a provider of energy, structures, logistics and other essential services, ATCO contributes to all 17 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals, both directly and indirectly. Below are examples of how ATCO is contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

Main Contributions

Gender Equality

Gender Equality

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. 

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

The strength of our workforce comes from diversity. Our policies ensure we hire people based on their experience and expertise. We also provide skills training and apprenticeship opportunities.

- ATCO supports a diverse and inclusive working environment that values the contributions and perspectives of everyone. Our Inclusive and Respectful Workplace policy encourages diversity and ensuring our people have the opportunity to participate in work-related activities, in an environment that is inclusive, respectful and safe.

- Women make up 33 per cent of our workforce and 33 per cent of our senior management team.

- Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council will create a long-term strategy focused on concrete action to overcome systemic inequality and implement meaningful change.

- Our DEI committees, including the Employment Equity Advisory Committee, and the Workplace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity group, have been working towards important initiatives, including normalizing disabilities, planning and hosting Métis Week, breaking the bias for women in the workforce, and celebrating events such as Pride Week.

- As part of the Trade Winds to Success program we recently hired two recent graduates for Indigenous apprenticeship positions.

In Australia, we have become an official partner of Hockey Australia. This new partnership will see ATCO support Hockey Australia in delivering its national junior program and national social inclusion program.

Affordable and Clean Energy

Affordable and Clean Energy

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

CLEANER FUELS

We continue to work with customers to provide access to cleaner and affordable energy by identifying the right combination of innovative technologies. Solutions include rooftop solar panels and energy storage, as well as larger integrated-systems scale solutions such as RNG and hydrogen.

Hydrogen presents an exciting opportunity for ATCO to leverage our existing infrastructure to develop low-carbon energy solutions. Learn more about some of our projects, including our Clean Energy Innovation Hub and Clean Energy Innovation Park in Australia, which just received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency to kickstart the production of hydrogen, our Fort Saskatchewan Hydrogen Blending project, the Fortescue Metals Group to build a hydrogen vehicle refueler station, and the Suncor and ATCO world-scale hydrogen project in Alberta.

Renewable natural gas (RNG) is a reliable energy source that can be injected in the natural gas system. In 2021, we completed  the Two Hills RNG Facility in Alberta. Additionally, Lethbridge Biogas had an ambition to evolve their facility by upgrading biogas to RNG that could be blended directly into our natural gas distribution system. To make this happen, we installed a station to analyze, measure and inject the RNG into our system.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Across our operations, we continue to advance renewable technologies. Whether it’s solar panels or hydroelectric power, we have the expertise to deliver reliable and innovative energy solutions.

- Following the sale of our Canadian fossil fuel-based electricity generation business, our remaining power generation capacity is 23 per cent renewable. We are actively transitioning our portfolio and supporting the development of renewables with our Cabrero Solar Project in Chile.  

- In 2021, we completed Canada’s most northerly off-grid solar project in Old Crow, Yukon in collaboration with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation. Learn more about another one of our off-grid solar projects in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta.  

- As part of ATCO’s growing renewable portfolio, we acquired the Empress solar project, and the Barlow and Deerfoot solar projects.

- ATCO offers the opportunity for its retail energy customers to purchase either 25 or 100 per cent of their energy from renewable sources with our Green Energy Plans. In 2021 we redeemed over 15,000 renewable energy credits (RECs) on behalf of these customers. 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

We seek to understand the evolving energy needs of our customers and develop efficient and effective solutions that support the transition to a lower-emitting energy system. We collaborate with customers and partners to enable energy efficient solutions, such as switching to more efficient fuels and reducing energy consumption.

- We continue to develop sustainable building solutions for our customers and communities. This includes commercializing micro combined heat & power (mCHP) units that utilize natural gas to provide electricity and capture energy that would be lost.

- In 2021, our energy efficiency projects included the installation of two 333-kW CHP units at a community recreation facility at the City of Grande Prairie, Alberta and the installation of 70-kW and 150-kW CHP units in Taber and Grande Cache, Alberta, respectively.

- We collaborate with customers and partners to enable energy-efficient solutions, including converting more than 20,049 light emitting diode (LED) lights, reducing more than 4,143 tonnes of GHG emissions per year.

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. 

INDIGENOUS PARTNERSHIPS

We continue to develop new and innovative models of economic participation with our Indigenous partners.

- We continue to develop Indigenous Partnerships and develop new models of economic participation. In 2021, we awarded over $99.5 million in contracts to Indigenous and Indigenous-affiliated contractors and $123.7 million in net economic benefit to our Indigenous partners

- We have 56 joint-venture partnerships, memorandums of understanding and other partnerships with Indigenous groups.

- In 2021, ATCO Frontec and Nunavut Petroleum Corporation announced their joint venture was awarded a 10-year contract for Uqsuq Corporation in addition to a contract for Nasittuq Corporation to operate and maintain the North Warning System, starting in 2022.

- As part of our employee education and awareness training, over 5,000 employees participated in additional Indigenous cultural training in 2021.

- In partnership with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, we completed Canada’s most northerly off-grid solar project in Old Crow, Yukon. Learn more about our additional solar projects, such as our partnership with Three Nations Energy in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta.

- In 2020, we were awarded the prestigious International Edison Award for our work on the Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project, completed by Alberta PowerLine (APL). From securing innovative public-private partnership funding to engaging and eventually selling a 40 per cent equity stake to our Indigenous partners, APL is a model for inclusive long-term development. 

SAFE AND SECURE WORKING ENVIRONMENTS

Safety is the first consideration in everything we do. We actively share best practices among business units and jurisdictions

- Extensive safety initiatives delivered that focus on strong leadership and empowering employees, including safety essentials training for managers and a safety assessment survey for employees. Health and safety are at the forefront of what we do. In 2021, we reported a decrease in three key metrics: employee TRIF (total recordable injury frequency), contractor TRIF and employee LTIF (lost-time injury frequency). As part of our prevention strategy, approximately 75 per cent of our utility’s leaders have completed the Safety Excellence for Supervisors and Managers program. We provide skills training and apprenticeship opportunities for people of all walks of life to succeed.

- LUMA, our new company in Puerto Rico, is opening a state-of-the art lineworker college in Puerto Rico to raise the standard of training and safety for all. We broke ground on the college in April of 2021.

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Sustainable Cities and Communities

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

LOW-CARBON TRANSPORTATION

We enable low-carbon transportation solutions such as CNG and EV charging infrastructure.

- We enable low-carbon transportation choices for our customers through the installation of 25 EV charging stations, including those as part of our Peaks to Prairies project.

- We continue exploring hydrogen projects, including transportation, where we are working with Fortescue Future Industries in Australia to develop hydrogen-vehicle fueling infrastructure.

- We continue to develop compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fuel source. Our CNG projects include the construction of two new commercial grade natural gas refueling stations along the Queen Elizabeth Highway (QEII) in Alberta and through a partnership with the City of Calgary, the new leading-edge Stoney CNG Bus Storage and Transit Facility, which will enable the addition of 150 CNG buses to the city fleet over the next three years.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Our modular structures division showcases our ability to rapidly deliver residential solutions using energy-efficient modular construction techniques to address the growing demand for affordable housing.

- We have expanded affordable housing options in our communities through constructing homes for veterans through the Homes for Heroes Foundation.  In November 2021, the ATCO Veterans Village was completed in Edmonton, featuring 20 tiny homes, a resource centre, counsellor's office, community recreation space and community gardens.

- During 2019 and 2020, we constructed several supportive housing complexes in British Columbia for the provincial agency BC Housing in New Westminster, Powell River, and Surrey, British Columbia. In 2021, we were awarded an additional contract in Vernon, British Columbia to construct our sixth affordable housing project.

DISASTER RELIEF

We continue to support the Canadian Armed Forces, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and various non-government organizations in disaster and emergency response services.

- Following the devastating bushfires that ravaged Australia in 2019-2020, we donated $1 million to the Business Council of Australia’s BizRebuild program to help communities and businesses recover in the wake of the disaster.

- Our ATCO Frontec division is committed to providing emergency and disaster response services globally. Projects include working with Siksika Nation in southern Alberta on the Partnering 4 Resilience program and partnering with other groups such as Weatherhaven to provide essential support to Canada’s COVID-19 response

- In April 2020, our electricity and natural gas teams responded to flooding in the northern Alberta community of Fort McMurray. Our top priority was ensuring the safety of our employees, the community and the public as we worked to restore utility service to those impacted

Climate Action

Climate Action

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. 

CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE AND ADAPTATION

We carefully manage climate-related risks by preparing for, and responding to, extreme weather events and continuing to evaluate ways to create greater system reliability and resiliency

- Our reporting is in alignment with the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations.

- Our progress on climate change adaptation and resilience measures include 79 per cent progress towards completing inline inspections on all natural gas transmission lines.

- We invested $1.3 billion in new and refurbished energy infrastructure in 2021.

- We continue to progress grid resilience to manage the impacts climate change poses to our infrastructure. In 2021, we installed 171 new devices in Jasper, Alberta to replace standard protective fuses on our Jasper distribution system to reduce the possibility of causing wildfires.

GHG & AIR EMISSIONS

We reduce both the direct and indirect GHG emissions associated with our operations by exploring new and more efficient ways to generate, transport and conserve energy.

- Our direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions were reduced by 90 per cent from 2019 to 2020, primarily as a result of Canadian Utilities’ sale of its Canadian fossil fuel-based electricity generation business in 2019, eliminating coal-fired generation from our portfolio.

- In 2021, we further reduced our direct (Scope 1) GHG emissions by 15%.

- Between 2020 and 2021, we had a 13 per cent reduction in emissions intensity. GHG emissions to earnings intensity is a ratio comparing financial basis emissions to adjusted earnings.

- We continue to reduce our methane emissions, having reduced emissions by 25 per cent, or almost 80,000 tonnes, since 2019.  We achieved this by focusing on three key areas: leak detection, repairs and the elimination of flaring.

- In 2021, we saw a decrease in our overall air emissions, one being a 14 per cent reduction in nitrogen oxides.  

Direct Contributions

  • Clean Water and Sanitation
  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
  • Life on Land
  • Clean Water and Sanitation

    Clean Water and Sanitation

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 

    • Through a first-of-its-kind facility in Alberta’s Industrial Heartland, we have been able to leverage our common water infrastructure to support our customers and minimize disruption to the surrounding rivers.
    • We continue to reduce our water use, with a decrease from 16 million cubic metres (m3) to 2.0 million m3 from 2019 to 2021, an 87.5 per cent reduction. 
  • Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

    • We invested $3.2 million in 2021 in natural gas innovation to develop and test technology that affordably reduces GHG emissions.
    • To enable the transition to lower-emitting energy sources, we are taking steps to modernize our grid. In 2021, we replaced over 30,000 traditional meters with advanced metering infrastructure in Grande Prairie, Alberta. This allows customers to adjust their energy use during low-demand times to shift energy consumption.
    • Our Urban Pipeline Replacement Project is a redesign of our transmission and distribution systems, taking into account considerations to enhance safety, improve system reliability and address future system growth. This was completed in July 2021 and is the largest pipeline replacement and upgrade in ATCO’s 5-year history.
    • We pursue innovative projects that improve access to energy and enable the transition to lower-carbon energy sources. Our Pembina-Keephills Transmission Line and our recent  acquisition of the Pioneer Pipeline supports the coal-to-gas conversion of power plants. Our Jasper Interconnection project reduced the local community’s reliance on diesel fuel.
    • In 2019, ATCO launched its SpaceLab initiative, an enterprise-wide framework of collaborative support for the creative energy of our people and a source of funding and expertise to any ATCO employee with the desire to pursue sustainable new value for the company. In 2020, Spacelab’s Vice President, was recognized for their contribution for Canadian mathematics. The SpaceLab hosts a Speaker Series which are virtual session open to the public that explore different trending scientific topics. 
  • Life on Land

    Life on Land

    Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat diversification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 

    • Our Jasper Interconnection Project, energized in 2019, utilized construction techniques that minimized environmental disruption through the use of covered conductors, paralleling existing right-of-way and winter construction timing.
    • We take a strategic approach to vegetation maintenance, offering vegetation management and right-of-way maintenance programs that are cost-effective and follow industry  environmental standards.
    • On the Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project, we were recognized for this project for exceeding expectations in our environmental conservation and reclamation efforts to preserve the usage of these lands, and our Caribou Protection Plan was promoted as a best practice among industry peers.
    • To balance the natural environment with providing our customers with reliable electricity, we came up with a plan to install a hardware solution that would deter the birds from roosting on our transmission lines.
    • Our How We Do Business code outlines our commitment to meeting or exceeding environmental regulations and operational standards and using resources and energy efficiently.
    • Liability management is critical to ensure our end-of-life assets are responsibly reclaimed, including any necessary remediation, so that the land can be returned to an equivalent state. In our electricity division, we recently decommissioned an electricity generation facility fueled by diesel near Garden River, Alberta and the Little Red River Cree First Nation, allowing us to contribute both to the energy transition through off-diesel initiatives and engage with the community on reclamation of the site using traditional-use plant species.

Indirect Contributions

  • No Poverty
  • Zero Hunger
  • Good Health and Well-Being
  • Quality Education
  • Reduced Inequalities
  • Responsible Consumption and Production
  • Life Below Water
  • Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  • Partnerships for the Goals
  • No Poverty

    No Poverty

    End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

    • As part of our Homes for Heroes project, we built 15 tiny homes for homeless Canadian Armed Forces veterans in Calgary. In November 2021, the ATCO Veterans Village was completed in Edmonton, featuring 20 tiny homes, a resource centre, counselor’s office, community recreation space and community gardens.
    • Our programs in Mexico include community workshops to build wood-burning stoves to reduce the reduce the respiratory impacts of open-fire stoves.
    • With our Indigenous partnerships, we focus on creating long-term partnerships that contribute to sustainable economic and social development and are continually exploring new models of collaboration with our Indigenous and community partners.
  • Zero Hunger

    Zero Hunger

    End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

  • Good Health and Well-Being

    Good Health and Well-Being

    Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. 

    • During this global pandemic, it is more important than ever to support our customers and communities. Whether it’s supporting a local distiller in producing hand sanitizer or supplying critical medical facilities to the Government of Canada, we’re here for you. Learn more about ATCO’s response to the COVID-19 virus, which included issuing over 120 all-employee communications to keep our people up to date with ATCO’s COVID-19 response and changing health regulations and distributing 6000 safety kits to our employees all over the globe.
    • In 2020, we launched our Well-being @ ATCO initiative, bringing together and building on our existing health and wellness strategies such as our Not Myself Today campaign. Currently, we have over 250 local Well-being @ ATCO champions who meet regularly to foster a healthy workplace. In 2021, as part of our health journey and social activities, we completed the annual Global Step Challenge, where we reached our highest step count of 219,169,286 steps.
    • Our pilot Smart Academic Green Environment, or SAGE, classrooms are quick and affordable portable solutions designed to create a healthy learning environment for students.
  • Quality Education

    Quality Education

    Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. 

  • Reduced Inequalities

    Reduced Inequalities

    Reduce inequality within and among countries. 

    • In 2021, we generated $123.7 million in net economic benefit for our Indigenous partners and continue to form partnerships to reduce the inequalities Indigenous peoples face.
    • We’re pleased to have been selected as the winner of the 2020 International Edison Award for our work on the Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project, which empowers and promotes the social, economic and political inclusion of all.
    • Our How We Do Business code outlines how we promote an inclusive and respectful workplace that values individual differences and unique perspectives. 
  • Responsible Consumption and Production

    Responsible Consumption and Production

    Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. 

    • We prevent, mitigate and manage spills using a variety of measures and ensure all appropriate steps are taken to minimize environmental impacts. In 2021, 38 per cent of our reported spills were a result of vandalism to our electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure.
    • ATCO partnered with the environmental firm Green Standards to reduce the amount of furniture, appliances, computers and other materials that end up in the landfill each year. In 2018, we diverted 87 tonnes of material.
    • We continue to reduce our hazardous waste with a significant reduction in production from 2,210 tonnes in 2020 to 1,166 tonnes in 2021.
  • Life Below Water

    Life Below Water

    Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources. 

    • As a provider of essential services around the world, we are committed to environmental stewardship. We include environmental considerations in every project, including those located in marine environments, from project planning to operation, maintenance, and decommissioning.
  • Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

    How we do business is the code that outlines our ATCO values and how we conduct business in an ethical manner. 

    • Bribery: We never offer, attempt to offer, promise or accept payments, gifts or anything of value that could influence a business decision
    • Anti-corruption: We ensure that all interactions with public officials comply with the law.
    • Fraud: We do not tolerate fraud in any form, whether initiated by our people or our business partners.
    • Fair Competition: We never collude with other companies on prices or terms offered to our customers, agree with competitors to allocate markets or customers, or manipulate bid processes.
  • Partnerships for the Goals

    Partnerships for the Goals

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

    • ATCO is proud to support the communities we work in with a variety of community investment initiatives. Since 2006, ATCO employees have raised over $50 million for hundreds of community charities all over the world.
    • We are committed to strengthening the grid through partnerships. We partnered with Quanta Services to create LUMA to transform and operate Puerto Rico’s electric transmission and distribution system, and to create Alberta PowerLine to construct the Fort McMurray 500-kV West Transmission project.
    • In addition to investing in our own hydrogen projects, we collaborate with others to resolve some of the broader implementation challenges as hydrogen becomes a viable energy source. We support the Transition Accelerator, a pan-Canadian organization that is working to develop a hydrogen economy.
    • To achieve our net-zero targets, we advocate with all levels of government to enable policy and regulation, and to identify barriers that impede cost-effective, economy-wide decarbonization.