PDF - 9Mo - Grande Dixence SA

GD. P.68The environment:a constant concernThe future belongs to white gold and green energyWhat a paradox! Self-sufficient for so long, and evenan exporter of electricity, Switzerland is poised to becomea net importer of electricity.Under these circumstances, with energy becomingrarer and fears about global warming, hydropower ismore than ever a form of energy that should be givenpriority.Those who initiated the Grande Dixence constructionproject were always aware of this. Could there everbe a finer source of environmentally-friendly energy!But apart from the fact that this is a clean and renewablesource of electricity, the design engineers paidparticular attention to the environment. In the 1950s,ecology may not yet have been a core concern, butthose who built Grande Dixence were ahead of theirtime when it came to mountain conservation. Theirconstant endeavour was to preserve the natural environment,to blend completely into the grandiose Alpinesetting. Water pipes, power plants, pumping stations,everything that could be hidden away beneath the surface,was buried. The earthworks were returned to theirnatural state.Nonetheless, energy production, transmission andconsumption are not neutral for the environment. Evenif the energy comes from a renewable source, as hydropowerdoes, with no release of greenhouse gases intothe atmosphere, great care must be taken all along thechain of activity that leads from a drop of water to theelectron that is supplied to the electric power socket.The design, realization and operation of structures andfacilities are consequently the subject of detailed attention.Safety and respect for the environment, a majorpriority everywhere and at every moment, can thusbe ensured.Aware of the value of the environment, Grande Dixencehas chosen to maintain and improve its generatingequipment and structures in order to optimize the useof the natural resource. To that end, it has a numberof committments, including:Respect for the legal requirements, and for the termsof the concessions and permits.Ensuring that operations are carried out in a waythat limits as far as possible the impacts on watercourses and their ecosystems (flushing operations,etc.) and preventing pollution.Minimizing the impact on the landscape caused bythe carrying out of civil engineering works.Maintaining a constructive dialogue with partners,the public and communities affected by the facilities.Promoting cooperation with service providers andsuppliers that have a concern for the environment.Constantly improving its environmental performancethrough action programmes.As a result, an environmental management system wasestablished in Grande Dixence SA in 2000. In 2001, theefforts were rewarded by ISO 14001 certification.Furthermore, the electricity produced by GrandeDixence has been awarded the TÜV EE 002 (April 2000)and naturemade basic (January 2002) energy qualitylabels.In July 2003, the operation of the Grande Dixence SAhydropower generation facilities was entrusted to anew company, HYDRO Exploitation SA, founded a yearearlier. This new company has made respect for theenvironment one of its priorities from the start. On 4July 2004, it obtained triple certification for Quality, theEnvironment, and Health/Safety.