São Paulo, September 18, 2020 - EDP, a company that operates in all segments of the Brazilian electricity sector, was considered the most innovative company in the Electric Energy category in Brazil. The choice was made in the sixth edition of the Valor Inovação Brasil Award, the most recognized innovation survey in the country. Held by Strategy & - PwC's strategic consultancy - in partnership with the newspaper Valor Econômico, the award ceremony consecrated the most innovative companies in Brazil in 23 sectors of the economy.

In 2020, the research had the theme "Competences of the Future". The survey evaluated the five pillars of the companies' innovation chain: intention to innovate, effort to carry out innovation, results obtained, market evaluation and knowledge generation. The "Valor Inovação Brasil 2020" yearbook also highlighted the challenges generated by the impacts of the pandemic on the investments planned for the areas of Research and Development (R&D) and the search for new solutions to face the adverse context.

“This is the recognition of a persistent path that the Company has taken to place innovation at the center of the strategic dialogue. EDP is deeply committed to anticipating trends in the sector, such as decarbonization, digitalization and decentralization, in order to stimulate the energy transition in the country, with benefits for society and the environment. Innovation is the catalyst for this transformation”, says Miguel Setas, chairman of EDP in Brazil.

Culture of innovation

EDP works with the concept of Open Innovation, based on collaboration between internal and external agents, such as the entrepreneurial ecosystem of startups, business partners, customers, academic institutions, regulatory bodies, among others. Through this network, the company seeks to develop new projects, apply cutting-edge technologies and share knowledge.

The culture of innovation is in the Company's operating principles, among them "constant innovation" and "focus on solutions and the greater purpose". For this reason, the company encourages an innovative attitude regardless of the position or function. The goal is to develop a work environment open to new ideas and proposing solutions.

Among the initiatives aimed at the relationship with startups, Starter Business Acceleration and EDP Ventures Brasil stand out. The first is a business acceleration program with startups operating in clean energy verticals, solutions for customers, digital innovation, energy storage, smart grids, access to energy and innovation in internal processes. EDP Ventures is the first venture capital vehicle in the Brazilian electric sector, with an initial budget of R$ 30 million and investment in six startups so far.

Also in 2020, EDP was ranked first in the sector and fourth in the national ranking of the Top 100 Open Corps, which recognizes the most engaged and committed companies in the Brazilian innovation ecosystem.

About EDP in Brazil

With over 20 years of experience, EDP is one of the largest private companies in the electricity sector operating throughout the value chain. The Company, which has over 10,000 direct and outsourced employees, operates in Transmission, Trading and Energy Services and has six hydroelectric generation units and one thermal power station. In Distribution, it serves about 3.5 million customers in São Paulo and Espírito Santo, in addition to being the main shareholder of Celesc, in Santa Catarina. In Brazil, it is a reference in areas such as Innovation, Governance and Sustainability, having been in the B3´s Corporate Sustainability Index (ISE) for 14 consecutive years.

Follow EDP at: Website | LinkedIn