hse group

2.12 RELATIONS WITH THE WIDER SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
As we are aware of the fact that any
company in the power generation and
distribution sector has to put environmental
responsibility at the center of
its efforts, we have made environment
protection and the utilization of
renewable sources of energy one of
our primary values. We are living up to
our responsibility towards the environment
in a number of ways. We are
replacing the old goals of increasing
production capacities with the concept
of sustained economizing, aiming
to balance the utilization of natural
resources with the nature’s regeneration
capabilities. It is the awareness of
our dependence on natural sources
that drives HSE towards the development
of new modern technologies
and processes that increase productiveness
and simultaneously reduce
production’s negative effects on the
environment.
Most of the companies in the Group
have already obtained the ISO 14001
environmental certification.
Hydropower Plants
The largest hydropower-plant-related
intrusion in the environment is the
construction of reservoirs and the
influences on the environment infrastructure.
By consistently complying
with international standards and using
the appropriate technological solutions
HSE is providing a safe and environmentally
friendly form of power
generation. DEM (Drava River Hydropower
Plants, Maribor), SEL (Sava
River Hydropower Plants, Ljubljana)
and SENG (SoËa River Hydropower
Plants, Nova Gorica) have already
obtained the ISO 14001 environmentcare
certification.
Thermal Power Plants
The beginnings of environmental
awareness at TE© (©oπtanj Thermal
Power Plant) reach as far back as
1978. Nine years later a program for a
corporate environment rehabilitation
of the thermal power plant was adopted.
After introducing numerous technical
improvements and renewals in
1993 the construction of a desulphurization
plant was commenced on Unit
4, and in 2000 it was finished on Unit
5. Environment rehabilitation is being
continued with the project of reducing
the emissions of NOx and the introduction
of the ISO 14001 environment
management system, for which the
company obtained a certificate at the
end of 2002.
With the modernization of old Units
the thermal power plant achieved an
environmentally acceptable technological
level. With the construction of
the final two Units they are providing
an additional 228 MW of environmentally
friendly threshold power, while a
refurbishment of environmentally
friendly steam technology is also
planned.
Coalmining Company
At PV (Velenje coalmining company)
the environment management system
is one of the company’s strategic
goals. By actively improving working
processes they are constantly reducing
harmful influences on the environment.
The construction of the environment
management system includes
eleven environmental segments (water,
air, waste, hazardous substances,
transportation, energy, noise, development,
surface ground, raw materials
and seismic characteristic). The coalmining
company had obtained the ISO
14001 environment management certification
in 2000. By achieving this it
became one of the first coalmines in
the world to be acknowledged for its
environmentally friendly operations.
Cohabitation with the Local and
Wider Community as an Obligation
The field of environmental awareness
also includes responsibility to the
wider social environment, with which
HSE is in co-habitation. By supporting
a variety of organizations, societies,
projects and individuals we are creating
close linkages with the community
around us, connected to our operations
in one way or another. As we are
aware of the fact that our business
success is closely linked to its sense
of benevolence, loyalty, and alliance,
we have dedicated a certain portion of
our funds to certain activities both in
the national as well as regional level.
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