Annual report 2008/09 - Axpo Group

Axpo is dedicated to climate protection – on several fronts.
The company is the largest producer of low-CO2 electricity in
Switzerland. Its power plant fl eet is climate-friendly, and it
offers its customers new and focused support in the reduction
of CO2 emissions.
Putting a price on CO2
Since 2005, companies in the EU must offset
their CO2 emissions with emission certifi -
cates. This system aims to put a price on CO2
and reduce emissions in the long term.
Until now, companies received their certifi -
cates free of charge from their state governments,
but the price can also be fi xed
by obliging companies that emit more CO2
than permitted by their certifi cates to buy
additional rights on the market. Those
who emit less CO2 can sell their superfl uous
certifi cates. In this way, emission trading
creates incentives to invest in environmental
technologies.
In Switzerland, 344 companies have
undertaken to meet binding emission targets
during the period from 2008 to 2012.
They were allocated free emission rights,
and since November 2009 have been able to
trade these on an off-exchange platform of
the Cantonal Bank of Berne.
The carbon footprint
An international comparison of per capita
CO2 emissions in tonnes.
11,1
10
8,9
7,6
6
5,8
0 10
US
Russia
Germany
UK
Italy
France
Switzerland
Source: International Energy Agency, Key World
Energy Statistics (2008)
19
20
Climate change demands the reduction of energy consumption
as well as CO2 emissions and other climate-damaging gases.
It is very important that electricity is produced with the
lowest possible CO2 emissions.
The most pressing target that must be reached is only
one tonne of CO2 per person per year, with energy consumption
as low as possible. The Swiss carbon footprint is currently
just under six tonnes per annum per capita – this may be
low in an international comparison, but from the point of view
of climate protection it is still far too high. Axpo is helping
on various levels to reduce this carbon footprint.
Axpo power plants protect the climate
With its power plant fl eet, Axpo makes a considerable contribution
to the Swiss climate balance sheet, as hardly any CO2 is
emitted by its hydropower and nuclear power plants. Axpo is
the largest producer of low-CO2 electricity from hydropower in
Switzerland. As Swiss waters are already used very intensively,
further development will primarily focus on the optimization
of existing plants. In the coming years, Axpo will invest
around CHF 3 billion for this purpose.
Axpo is convinced that at present nuclear energy is the
second most important pillar of the Swiss electricity supply
system. Apart from run-of-river power plants, no other technology
is available which – measured over the whole cycle
from construction through fuel procurement and operation to
dismantling and storage of waste – has such low levels of CO2
emissions. Axpo has confi rmed this with a certifi ed environmental
balance sheet study carried out at the Beznau nuclear
power plant.
Reducing the carbon footprint
As a new service, Axpo can now support its customers in developing
and implementing a climate protection strategy. The
CO2 service comprises three phases with different products
for every phase. Firstly, Axpo helps its customers to identify
their carbon footprint so that they know where they are emitting
most CO2 and how they can best reduce these emissions.
Secondly, Axpo helps its customers to reduce CO2 emissions
by company-internal means, which could include measures to
increase energy effi ciency, but also a change-over to CO2neutral
natural electricity products or the optimization of building
systems. Finally, Axpo offers its customers the option of
neutralizing the remaining emissions which cannot be reduced
in an economically viable manner by means of high-quality
emission credits from Switzerland and abroad.