Community relations

In Canada TAQA has been named one of Alberta’s Top employers since 2008 due to the belief that creating a positive climate for business increases everyone’s quality of life.

TAQA also supports the STARS Air Ambulance, which is dedicated to providing a safe, rapid, highly specialised emergency medical transport system for the critically ill and injured. We also supported the Alberta Children’s Hospital, the United Way (Calgary and Area) and ARBI (Association for the Rehabilitation of the Brain Injured).

Our Christmas campaign continued to raise money through a variety of initiatives for charities and families in need during the holidays with TAQA matching the funds raised.

In the United Kingdom TAQA is proud to donate £50,000 towards the development of the Owl & Pussycat centre, which plans to open formally to the public in the summer of 2012. The social enterprise provides a natural environment for a variety of bird species, predominantly owls and other birds of prey, as well as other animals. It already offers an education-focused service as it takes its ‘residents’ to visit schools and local shows, and also hosts prearranged visits. One of its priorities is to offer animal-assisted therapeutic assistance to children and adults with special needs.

TAQA is also a proud supporter of the Easter Anguston Farm in Aberdeen which provides vocational training for adults with learning disabilities. The farm helps people develop the skills they need to get the most out of life and to live independently in the community. In 2010, we were delighted to be able to donate a tractor to give the farm’s trainees the opportunity to work and train with modern equipment.

For cultural support we are the sole sponsor of the new Aberdeen Arts Fair, an event that took place in Aberdeen for the first time in 2011, providing a platform of over 40 galleries for artists to present their art to the wider public.

In the UK our community support extends to direct sponsorship including a unique Para-cycling team initiative that enables funding for a blind athlete to compete in competitive cycling races. More information can be found on this blog.

In The Netherlands, through our investment in the Bergermeer Gas Storage project, TAQA will help support employment in the Alkmaar region while providing a boost for the local economy. Up to 1,200 people will be employed during the construction phase of the project and, once completed, it will provide long-term jobs for employees and contractors.

A significant part of the total investment – approximately €800million – will be spent with Dutch companies and businesses providing a significant cash-injection into the local economy.

We are also keen to support education and cultural events in the region. For example, each year we sponsor more than 20 events including the annual 10-day arts event Kunst10Daagse in Bergen aan Zee.

In Morocco, TAQA has implemented a number of community initiatives, in close collaboration with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and local and national authorities. These projects aim to support our stakeholders in the main focus areas of health, education, and the environment.

For community health, a "Medical Caravan" was held for the nearby Douars of the power plant in collaboration with the Association of Doukkala.  Over 800 dwellers from the douars of Ouled Zid and Chkralba have benefited from services including medical examinations, X-rays, distribution of medicines, and the provision of other health care services.

In Education, the company has provided school supplies to children through a distribution campaign of school materials to some of the ten poorest schools located in Sidi Abed (El Jadida). This initiative benefitted over 8,000 students with the distribution of books, school bag, and stationery.

We have also contributed to the rehabilitation of Sidi Abed schools to offer a better educational and school environment for the children. This initiative initially focused on five schools in Sidi Abed providing the setup of sanitary facilities, re-roofing works, installation of windows and doors, waterproofing works and repainting.

In the environmental field, the company has supported the "2011 Clean Beaches Program" for Sidi Bouzid and Sidi Abed municipalities with the collaboration of the Mohammed VI Foundation for the Environment Protection and the concerned municipalities. The beaches were equipped with facilities like information panels, watch towers, rescue equipment, garbage containers, nursing spaces, parasols, and environmental protection activities. This culminated  linked to the protection of the environment and our operations' efforts were rewarded by the Foundation granting the "Blue Flag" award to Sidi Bouzid’s beach.

Additionally, our operations in Morocco supports a number of local cultural events. We have been sponsored the Festival Mawazine, Rythmes du Monde - the major festival event in Morocco which gives over two million people access to concerts, street performances, painting workshops and exhibitions. We have also supported also the first International Jawhara Festival of El Jadida celebrating culture and arts with a rich program including dance, music, theater plays, plastic arts and 500 artists coming from different countries. The festival has also celebrated and encouraged young talents. Furthermore, the company has sponsored the Moulay Abdellah Moussem, one of the major folklore festivals of El Jadida, gathering 1,200 horsemen for the fantasia and organising cultural evenings.

Similar to our other operations India’s community investment strategy targets the focus areas of education, environmental protection and community health. Some of the key projects in recent years brought significant improvements to local communities.

Our employees recognized that there were no proper drainage facilities for domestic liquid waste in the neighboring Uthangal village. This liquid waste tended to stagnate in the surrounding area leading to obvious health risks. TAQA initiated the construction of drainage facilities and through regular monitoring ensures a healthier environment.

Water is an essential ingredient for life but in our neighboring communities of the Oomangalam and Uthangal villages potable water is very scarce, and not adequate to meet local daily demands. For each village we have led the construction of overhead water tanks with a capacity of 60,000 liters. From 2011, the water from the overhead tanks can now be distributed to the local villages.

Also, as part of our local environmental and community development program in India TAQA has planted more than 30,000 trees so far around our facility to rehabilitate the local ecosystem. 

Since it was first established in 2000, TAQA’s operations in Ghana have worked extremely hard to establish itself not only as the leading independent power producer in Ghana, but also as a good corporate citizen within our local communities. Our objective is to identify projects and initiatives that make a lasting and positive contribution towards sustainable development through the focus areas of education, environmental protection, and improving the health and wellbeing of our own people and neighbors. We take great pride in the some of the initiatives which have visibly improved the lives of people in the surrounding communities. These efforts are not merely financial contributions and are often employee-led programs. 

In supporting the promotion of quality health care delivery in the Shama District where the T2 Plant is located, the Takoradi plant has, since 2001, provided approximately US$ 500,000 worth of hospital equipment to the Volta River Authority’s hospital at Aboadze including an incinerator to improve sanitation and health and X-ray equipment.

In addition to the ongoing financial support, we have helped organize medical screening exercises for the people living in the surrounding area to tackle basic diseases prevalent in the area. First aid drugs are provided by the company to take care of ear, nose, throat and eye complications.

Infrastructure in many parts of Ghana, including the Takoradi region, is often inadequate. One of our key projects to improve local community health has been the undertaking of a sanitation program through the construction of gutters and culverts within the villages of a number neighboring communities. This allows storm water to drain adequately to the sea. Previously, standing water would increase the risk of malaria and other water-borne diseases impacting local villagers as well as putting added strain on the local healthcare services. 

Since 2001, our operations in Ghana have supported the JIKO orphanage in Aboadze and the Lighthouse orphanage in Cape Coast, as well as the Sekondi School for the deaf, through the provision of specialist teaching and learning aids.  These initiatives have a direct impact on the lives of children living within our surrounding communities, enabling children that would otherwise fall outside of the mainstream education system to receive a head start in life.

In addition to its support for the orphanages and school for the deaf, the Takoradi power plant also runs an annual scholarship award program, aimed at supporting underprivileged pupils who have demonstrated academic potential.  The program is open to pupils of all ages living within the surrounding community and often receives in excess of 1,000 applications per year. To date, the program has sponsored about eight hundred intelligent, but under-privileged, children and provided unique opportunities to develop their education.

Our operations have also helped develop educational infrastructure by contributing to the building of the only Junior High School in Aboadze and Abuesi, and also fully rehabilitated the only Senior High School in the Shama District in 2003.  Since 2006, TAQA has provided in excess of US$ 200,000 in funding to build, furnish and maintain a library for the local community.  The company has provided books and furniture for the facility, as well as contributing to the annual maintenance costs and general upkeep of the facility.