[SatNews] Arianespace's certification to the ISO 50001 energy management system standard at the Guiana Space Center is the fruit of an innovative partnership with French electricity company EDF.

Through this partnership, the two companies developed the monitoring and management of energy consumption at the launch site in French Guiana, and were able to share unused energy with the rest of the country. Arianespace is the first company in French Guiana to deploy this type of initiative, which reflects its ongoing commitment to managing the environmental impact of its operations at the Guiana Space Center. The ISO 50001 standards aims to reduce energy consumption by improving efficiency. It covers different types of energy:

—electrical
—fossil (fuel for generating sets, cars and trucks)
—compressed air

Arianespace's environmental and energy management system is built around two main components:

• An ongoing focus on optimized energy use in new facilities, by integrating the energy consumption reduction criterion in the analysis of possible solutions
• Providing appropriate information to all employees, including subcontractors

Following the announcement of the certification, Arianespace Chairman and CEO, Stéphane Israël, said, "Our partnership with EDF, a highly innovative approach here, once again proves Arianespace's all-out commitment to managing our environmental footprint. I would like to thank EDF French Guiana for working with us on this project. Also, thanks to everyone at our Guiana Space Center facilities, for their efforts in helping us earn ISO 50001 certification. I can only encourage them to continue to focus on reducing our energy bill, which will in turn help reduce greenhouse gases."

The ISO 50001 certification cycle will continue until December 18, 2017. During this period, an auditor will carry out an annual follow-up to assess improvements in the energy management system.