Vattenfall aB GeneRatIOn nORDIC CeRtIfIeD enVIROnmental ...

1 INtroduction
1.1 Declared Product
This document constitutes the certified Environmental Product Declaration EPD ® of electricity
generated in Vattenfall AB Generation Nordic´s (below called Vattenfall) hydropower
stations in the Nordic countries. Electricity belongs to the product category UNCPC
code 17, Group 171 – Electrical energy.
The declared product is 1 kWh electricity generated and thereafter distributed
to a customer connected to the 70/130 kV network.
Some of the power stations are constructed for the provision of capacity as well as electricity
enabling concurrence with the fluctuations in electricity consumption. Due to annual
reservoirs, the delivery of electricity is relatively evenly distributed throughout the
year, requiring no other forms of electricity generation.
1.2 The Declaration and the EPD ® system
Environmental Product Declaration is recognised as a vehicle for the industry for the
communication of environmental impact of products and services.
This Environmental Product Declaration is an EPD ® in accordance with the system administered
by the International EPD Consortium (IEC, www.environdec.com). EPD ® is an
international application of ISO 14025, Type III environmental declarations. The EPD ® system
and its applications are described in General Programme Instructions.
The hierarchic structure of the fundamental documents for the EPD ® system is:
• Product Category Rules, PCR-CPC17 (Product Category Rules, PCR, for preparing an Environmental
Product Declaration, EPD ® , for Electricity, Steam, and Hot and Cold Water Generation
and Distribution)
• General Programme Instructions for environmental product declaration EPD
• ISO 14025 on Type III environmental declarations
• ISO 14040 and 14044 on Life Cycle Assessments (LCA)
This EPD ® contains an environmental performance declaration based on a life cycle assessment.
Additional environmental information is presented in accordance with the PCR:
• Information on land use:
- an assessment of impact on biodiversity based on The Biotope Method,
(Kyläkorpi et al, 2005)
- a categorisation of land use according to Corine Land Cover Classes,
land occupation, time periods, and exploitative activities
- a description of visual impacts (see appendix Technology and Environment)
- qualitative description of potential impacts on indigenous people and their
traditional activities (see appendix Technology and Environment)
• An Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) of the potential emissions that may result from
abnormal incidents and that have an impact on the environment or are toxic to humans.
• Electromagnetic fields, a description of measures to keep fields low and some information
on limits and recommendations by different bodies.
• Noise
© Vattenfall AB Generation Nordic 2008
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