MERLIN Properties Annual Report 2022

8 | Annual report | 2022 development of four data centers. Progress has been made in the construction of three of them, those located in Bilbao-Arasur, Madrid-Getafe and Barcelona-PLZF, which will be completed in the second half of 2023. This first phase includes 3 MW of power capacity for each of the three assets, with partial pre-lets having been signed in all of them, in a line of business in which pre-lets are a very unusual. 2022 has been an important year for MERLIN’s environmental and social performance. The mainmilestones of the year have been the launch and implementation of our Pathway to Net Zero, the successful requalification of all bonds into green bonds, the continuation of the certification program in the three asset categories, already approaching the established goals (we have 94% of the portfolio certified), and the installation of 10.9 MW of photovoltaic panels for self-consumption. The energy consumption of the asset portfolio on a like-for-like basis was 100,075 MWh, a reduction of 2% compared to 2021, with all procured energy counting with a renewable certificate of guarantee of origin. As for the corporation’s carbon footprint, it amounted to 2,580 tons of Co 2 equivalent, a decrease of 23% compared to 2021. All this progress in environmental matters has been endorsed by the main environmental rating agencies, having improved our score in absolute and relative terms in the six benchmark indexes to which we apply. Special mention should be made of our inclusion, for the second consecutive year, in one of the most widely followed sustainability indexes in the world, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. It is also worth highlighting the progress made in Sustainalytics, where MERLIN Properties is already in the select club of the top 1% of companies rated in this area at a global level. It has also been an important year in terms of corporate governance. MERLIN has a robust governance system, in line with its values of ethics, compliance and transparency, supported through independent third-party validation. In 2022, we have improved governance through the creation of a Planning and Coordination Committee, with the aim of strengthening the Company’s corporate governance. We have also unified the Appointments and Remuneration Committees into a single Appointments and Remuneration Committee. In short, 2022 has been a transformational year for MERLIN, divesting assets with little potential to invest in data centers, with very significant future growth prospects. We have managed to deleverage the Company at what we believe to be the right time in the face of what we believe to be a complicated 2023. And we have given our shareholders a significant return. We face a 2023 in which we want to be prudent, to defend the strength of our balance sheet by being very disciplined in our investments with the risks and cash generation criteria in mind. However, I must tell you that MERLIN Properties is starting this year in the best possible way, with a very healthy balance sheet, operating metrics at record levels in many cases, a recognized management team and a solid and robust corporate governance structure. Once again, I would like to thank our employees, suppliers and all MERLIN Properties stakeholders for their trust and dedication, and especially our shareholders for their confidence and support, without which everything we do would not be possible. Thank you very much.