AGL Energy Limited (AGL) has taken out top prize at this year's Energy Supply Association of Australia's (ESAA) Sustainability Reporting and Innovation Awards for its 2010 Sustainability Report.

In naming AGL as the winner, the ESAA "recognised AGL Energy's strong systematic approach to identifying material sustainability issues and their drivers, supported by a robust framework of targeted metrics to evaluate and track performance".

Last November, AGL jointly won best report by an ASX Top 50 company for its 2009 Sustainability Report at the ACCA Australia Sustainability Reporting Awards.

AGL Chief Economist and Group Head of Corporate Affairs Professor Paul Simshauser said the latest award confirmed that AGL continued to produce high quality sustainability reporting.

"This award adds to a long list of achievements for AGL's sustainability reporting and credentials. We are incredibly proud of these achievements and committed to leading the industry in this space," Prof Simshauser said.

"When we think about sustainability, we don't just think about the environment; we also think about our responsibilities to all our stakeholders - our employees, our customers, our shareholders, and the community.

"We aim to build a sustainable future for AGL, where we will continue to be successful and respected for the next 10, 20 or 50 years and beyond, by doing the right thing by our stakeholders."

AGL publishes an annual sustainability report so its stakeholders can gain an understanding of the social, environmental and economic challenges and opportunities that face the organisation and the industry, and the steps it takes to address these responsibly to enhance the long-term value of its business.
AGL has also been recognised as one of Australia's leading companies in disclosing its risks and opportunities related to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions, through its inclusion on the Carbon Disclosure Project's 2010 Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI) and the Carbon Performance Leaders list for the ASX 200/ NZX 50.

AGL ranks as one of the world's leading electric utilities in sustainability performance on the global Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for 2010/11. AGL was the only Australian company to be named among the 13 companies worldwide which make up the DJSI World electric utilities section.

Entries for the ESAA awards were judged by a panel of three independent experts comprising Victorian Department of Primary Industries Energy Sector Development Division Director Ralph Griffiths, Latrobe Institute for Social and Environmental Sustainability's Research Fellow Stephen Muir and Sustainable Investment Research Institute's (SIRIS) Associate Director of Research, Ben Spruzen.

For more information, view AGL's award winning Sustainability Report.

About AGL

AGL is one of Australia's leading integrated energy companies and is taking action toward creating a sustainable energy future for our investors, communities and customers. Drawing on over 170 years of experience, AGL operates retail and merchant energy businesses, power generation assets and an upstream gas portfolio. AGL has one of Australia's largest retail energy and dual fuel customer bases. AGL has a diverse power generation portfolio including base, peaking and intermediate generation plants, spread across traditional thermal generation as well as renewable sources including hydro, wind, landfill gas and biomass. AGL is Australia's largest private owner and operator of renewable energy assets and is looking to further expand this position by exploring a suite of low emission and renewable energy generation development opportunities.