EDP Brasil, a company that operates in all segments of the Brazilian electricity sector, and EDP Renováveis Brasil receive applications, from April 1 to April 10, for the EDP Solidária - Covid 19 call, which will select initiatives aimed at tackling the coronavirus pandemic in vulnerable communities across Brazil.  Through the EDP Institute, R$ 1 million in own resources will be allocated to support the chosen projects. Applications can be made through the website www.institutoedp.org.br.

Last week, EDP had already announced the donation of another R$ 6 million for the purchase of respirators for the ICUs of public hospitals in the State of São Paulo. The donation was made through the social organization Comunitas, which raised a total of R$ 23.4 million, with 150 companies.

Nineteen non-governmental entities, associations, startups, consultancies and service providers, among others, can participate on the EDP Solidária - Covid 19 call who propose socioeconomic solutions against the problems generated by COVID-19, preferably vulnerable communities within EDP Brazil.

Projects must be focused on solutions such as:

1) Support for vulnerable people, with priority for low-income/needy communities, the elderly and indigenous communities.

Actions and initiatives that meet the basic/sanitary needs of this public will be considered, such as:

• Guarantee of the right to food, hygiene and cleaning;
• Basic sanitation;
• Awareness of the population.

Projects and actions that make it possible to reduce the economic impact resulting from the crisis are also eligible:

• Generation of jobs and income;
• Collaborative economy solutions;
• Valuing local entrepreneurship.

2) Support to combat, detect and prevent the pandemic

Projects with solutions to detect and fight against the coronavirus and to prevent the general population will be considered.

Priority will be given to actions aimed at municipalities in the states of São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Amapá, Ceará, Rio Grande do Sul and Tocantins. The result will be announced on April 15th and the funds will be transferred on the 16th of the same month. The projects must start immediately and the invested resource can be used for up to six months, counting from the date of transfer by the EDP Institute.

“We know about the situation of inequality in the country and the importance of initiatives focusing on the neediest communities. The call seeks to make resources available to create a protection network for people most vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic”, says Luis Carlos Gouveia, director of the EDP Institute.

Donation and internal actions

The donation of R$ 6 million made by EDP to the Government of São Paulo is equivalent to the offer of 25% of all respirators necessary to serve the ICU beds of public hospitals in the State, the most affected by the coronavirus crisis, in this first phase reinforcement.

The multinational's initiative in the country is added to the efforts made by the headquarters in Portugal. The company announced the donation of 50 respirators, 200 monitors and medical equipment to Portuguese hospitals. The action was carried out jointly with China Three Gorges (CTG).

In Brazil, EDP has a Crisis Management Committee for the coronavirus and designed a contingency plan, even before the confirmation of the first case in the country. Since February, the committee has been meeting remotely every day, including weekends, if necessary. Among the initiatives already carried out by the company are: anticipation of vaccination against the H1N1 flu for employees, implementation of a total work from home regime in the offices, scheduling and decentralization of field teams and reinforcement of internal information campaigns.

About IEDP

Since it was founded in 2009, the Instituto EDP has invested more than R$ 100 million in social cultural projects, which have benefited about 3 million people, in about 400 programs throughout the country. Only in 2019, the initiatives supported by the organization favored 82,000 residents of the communities surrounding the Company's areas of operation. The Instituto EDP is responsible for structuring EDP's investments and social initiatives on fronts related to the valorization of the Portuguese Language, education, local development with income generation, entrepreneurship and volunteering, by means of sports, culture and health.

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.