Investors are increasingly socially aware. They invest in value but also examine how a company sustains the environment, engages the community, and operates the organization. Investors evaluate the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores of publicly traded companies, and many electric utilities have responded by producing annual ESG or sustainability reports.  

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) has worked with member companies and investors since 2018 to develop a standard template for utilities to consider as they produce these important reports. A quick search for “ESG templates by EEI” reveals a dozen current ESG reports from some of the largest investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in America.

The ESG template provides a consistent reporting mechanism and metrics for investors, regulators, and other stakeholders to evaluate as they consider investment risks, future opportunities and growth strategies, and the assumptions they are based on…