ANNUAL REPORT - HSE

3.2 Responsibility
to the natural
environment
Environment-friendly
Slovenia entered the EU with a comparatively well preserved
natural environment and with the awareness that
the environment is one of the pillars of future sustainable
development.
The HSE Group designed its environmental policy at the
very beginning of its operations. Its basic components
can be summarised as follows:
• to produce electricity with a minimum impact on the
environment,
• to observe all legal standards and recommendations,
• to introduce the best technologies available in order to
minimise the impact on the environment,
• to promote the development of RES,
• to achieve a partnership with local communities and
jointly solve environmental issues and plan for the sustainable
development of electricity production,
• to achieve sustainable operation and development of
energy capacities.
of RES is developing quickly in Slovenia. Under the
Slovene Energy Act, renewable energy sources are the
sources that are entirely or predominantly renewable
in the natural environment. These primarily include hydropower,
wind, biomass, geothermal and unaccumulated
solar energy. The Act is based on guidelines from
EU directives, and being an EU member state Slovenia
is obliged to increase the use of E-RES from 29.9% in
1999 to 33.6% until 2010. In December 2008, the final
text of the new EU directive on RES was adopted. The
directive prescribes for each EU country a general goal
regarding the share of RES in the ultimate energy consumption
for the year 2020. For Slovenia, this share
amounts to 25%.
In terms of volume, energy from hydropower plants is
the most important source of electricity from renewable
sources in Slovenia. The area of renewable energy
sources is therefore highly important, both for the
operation and the future external image of the Group.
In the area of energy supply from renewable sources,
activities were launched in the second half of 2004 in
connection with the establishment of the domestic E-
RES market (Blue Energy), participation in the drawing
up of implementing regulations covering this area and
international activities relating to the sale of renewable
certificates abroad.
All electricity-producing companies in the HSE Group
and the controlling company have the ISO 9001 international
quality certificate and the ISO 14001 international
environmental certificate. Through consistent observance
of these standards, the companies ensure safe
and environment-friendly production of electricity at all
hydropower plants. Thanks to environmental rehabilitation
and modernisation, both thermal power plants also
introduced more environment-friendly technologies,
while PV was among the first coalmines in the world to
demonstrate comprehensive and responsible environmental
management in compliance with the requirements
of the respective standard.
Renewable energy sources
Following the example of European countries, the area
Modra energija (Blue Energy)
HSE set up the Modra energija (Blue Energy) project in
2004 in collaboration with distribution companies. The
project is aimed at encouraging the development of
energy production from renewable sources, establishing
the market in such energy and selling this energy
in Slovenia. The sales of Modra energija (Blue Energy)
began in January 2005. Since 1 July 2007, i.e. from the
full liberalisation of the electricity market onwards,
Modra energija (Blue Energy) has become available
to business as well household customers. In 2008 the
number of customers and the volume of the Modra
energija (Blue Energy) sold increased significantly – to
2,189 and 36 GWh, respectively.
In accordance with the contract entered into by Modra
energija (Blue Energy) project partners, the majority of
proceeds from the sale of Modra energija (Blue Energy)
(60%) goes into the Modri sklad (Blue Fund), which
ANNUAL REPORT HSE | SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT
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