Project Highlights
- Client: Elering
- Sector: Energy transmission
- Website: www.elering.ee
- Country: Estonia
- Service: Organisational GHG assessment (Sustinere Hub Carbon Footprint module)
- Service info: Digital and expert-supported calculation of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions
- Project lead: Simone Sui, Environmental Expert, Sustinere
- Why it matters: Reliable climate data supports Elering’s commitment to responsible energy management and helps meet European sustainability requirements.
- Outcome: A more complete overview of Elering’s climate impact, significant reduction compared to previous years, and a stronger foundation for future emission management.
The context
Elering is Estonia’s independent electricity and gas transmission system operator, ensuring energy security for households and businesses alike. The company plays a central role in maintaining reliable and affordable energy supply while working to ensure energy security in a climate-neutral way.
Elering holds the Gold Level recognition in Estonia’s Responsible Business Index, reflecting its ongoing attention to environmental and social responsibility. Sustinere first supported Elering in assessing its organisational greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Five years later, the collaboration continued with a new assessment for 2024, this time expanding the scope to include indirect emissions (Scope 3) alongside updated Scope 1 and 2 results.
The latest assessment was carried out in collaboration with Sustinere’s environmental expert Simone Sui, combining expert analysis with the digital Sustinere Hub Carbon Footprint module. The focus was to update Scope 1 and 2 data and to expand coverage across Scope 3, creating a more comprehensive and comparable picture of Elering’s climate impact.
“The role of the energy sector in the context of society and climate change is critically important. Accurate carbon footprint assessment provides the basis for identifying hotspots and solutions for reducing emissions. That’s for both Elering and the wider Baltic energy sector. The largest contributor to Elering’s footprint was electricity grid losses, which also represent the greatest opportunity for further reduction. The company has already taken meaningful steps in that direction, reflecting conscious and forward-looking management.”
Simone Sui, Environmental Expert, Sustinere
What we delivered
The project provided a comprehensive calculation of Elering’s organisational footprint across all three scopes, using the latest emission factors and structured data collection through Sustinere Hub. The process also included a detailed review of previous years’ data to ensure consistency and comparability.
Key steps and deliverables:
- Updated Scope 1 and Scope 2 data using verified emission factors
- Extended coverage of Scope 3 categories to improve completeness
- Identified main emission sources and potential reduction areas
- Shared results in an easy-to-use digital format for the team
The results showed a notable reduction in emissions compared to previous years. That was driven by specific operational changes and increased use of renewable energy certificates for transmission losses and internal electricity consumption.
Beyond the numbers, the project helped Elering identify which activities contribute most to its footprint and where data gaps remain. These insights now guide future actions, such as targeted data collection and mitigation planning within the company’s broader sustainability roadmap.
In their words
“The main value of carbon footprint assessment was understanding where our climate impact occurs and what we can change.
Every stage was educational. In some areas, we discovered that certain data simply doesn’t exist yet – which is also valuable, because now we know what to start collecting.
I truly value the collaboration with experts who understand our field and our goals.”
Tuljo Kirpu, Management Accounting Analyst, Elering
What’s next
Elering intends to continue refining its greenhouse gas data and building internal readiness for broader Scope 3 assessment in the coming years. The company views this as an ongoing learning process that supports informed decision-making and future transparency.
For Elering, understanding its climate impact is part of responsible system management. It ensures that energy reliability and environmental awareness evolve together.