Environmental Report 2000 - EnBW

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When the coal is burnt, fly-ash is formed, which is separated in the exhaust gas electro-filter. All of this is also used in the building industry as a secondary raw material. State of the Environment Report Despite the fact that we are active in a highly competitive market, we always attach major importance to our social and ecological responsibilities. The State of the Environment Report outlines our commitment to the environment and profiles a wide range of examples.
State of the Environment Report State of the Environment Report Although the operational safety of our facilities is our major consideration, guided by our commitment to the environment we are continually striving to reduce the consumption of hazardous substances and reduce pollutant emission levels. Safety The potential for danger varies according the type of power plant, facility or network. The precautionary measures we have installed are based on risk and safety analyses performed in the respective areas. For facilities which carry a risk factor we have put in place an emergency management system. The world’s safest nuclear power plants A recent report by independent expert investigators reconfirms our nuclear power plants’ status as ranking among the safest in the world. The Ministry for the Environment and Transportation in Stuttgart which is responsible for the supervision of the nuclear power plants in Baden Württemberg commissioned a report from two experts in nuclear power safety, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Enno F. Hicken (Jülich) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Günther Keßler (Karlsruhe) which, among other matters, was designed to outline the risk factor associated with the nuclear plants in Baden Württemberg in terms of an international comparison. The results speak for themselves. In the expert opinion of the renowned 22 independent investigators, safety levels in the nuclear plants in Baden Württemberg are among the highest in the world. Last year our Philippsburg nuclear plant reported seven notifiable incidents in the level “0” range on the international INES scale. None of these incidents caused any additional radiation exposure either to our employees or the environment. Key findings of the Safety Report at a glance In coal-fired power stations the ammonia depot is associated with a certain type of risk. Ammonia is used to remove nitrogen oxide from flue gas. Our safety analyses examine each individual aspect of the safety precautions we have put in place. Wherever it is deemed necessary, we also install emergency and risk management plans. And we also conduct regular field exercises with the fire brigade. • Continuous upgrading of the nuclear power plants in Baden Württemberg ensures that their safety levels are likewise being continually enhanced. • Operational experience keeps pace with enhanced safety levels. Signs of increased risk through age-related factors were not ascertainable. • Under the supposition that the necessary investment for the “age management” of safety and operating systems will continue to be made in the future, there are no grounds for projecting an increase in the failure or accident risk margin due to age factors. • Of special note is the extremely low radiation exposure hazard to the population due to leakage of radioactive substances. In general, measured values were less than one to two percent of admissible does. • Training of plant operators was of a high professional standard. • The scientific and technological research of the past twenty years does not allow us to conclude that accident risks from nuclear power plants are higher today than they used to be. • The latest accident/failure simulation scenarios demonstrate that the technical safety systems now in place in nuclear power plants are more than enough to cope with arising risks. Stringent safety conditions are also observed when installing gas pipes, transformers and overhead cables. In 2000 there were insignificant incidents at our transformers due to small oil leakages. The patch of ground that was contaminated was cleaned according to environmental regulations. At the Iffezheim hydroelectric power station there was a leakage of hydraulic oil with a low water pollutant risk. Due to the high level of dilution no threat was posed to the biology of the river Rhine. Manual for Risk Management We have extended our risk management and brought it into line with the provisions of the German Act on Control and Transparency in the Corporate Sector (KonTrag). Structures, procedures and responsibilities are now set out in our Manual for Risk Management which is valid for all Regulations governing dangerous substances are set out in our Safety at Work Manual and our Environmental Manual. operating companies in our Group. With decentralised units for risk management at company level and risk management in place in our holdings, we aim to take the fullest account of all possible contingencies. Reducing industrial accidents We have implemented the provisions of the 1996 German Industrial Safety Act in our daily industrial operations and in 2000 we compiled a Safety at Work Manual which is valid for all the companies in our Group. The provisions of the Manual are intended as a supplement to those safety regulations already in force at individual plants. Our policy of industrial safety pursues a two-track objective: We strive to minimise workplace accidents and work-related health risks. At the same time we wish to promote a humane working climate for our employees. For example, no substance classified as hazardous may be purchased if there is a viable and less dangerous alternative available. In the standard procurement procedure, authorisation This means that we are take our responsibilities seriously as employers in the sense of the Act on Industrial Safety, a piece of legislation which enjoins us to take full account of all factors impinging on the health and safety of the workforce when drawing up a safety agenda. In the light of our responsibility, we have established an “organisation for health and safety protection” in order to ensure compliance with safety regulations at every level of activity and to enable our employees to fulfil their own obligations in this respect. In 2000, for all the operating companies in our Group, there was a total of 123 notifiable accidents, and 39 travel and sport accidents. This gives a company accident rate of 14.5 accidents per 1,000 employees. By way of comparison the professional trade association for our sector of operations registers an annual average of 20.6 accidents per 1,000 persons insured. Environmental protection begins with resource procurement Our principles for procurement in line with our commitment to the environment are set out in our guidelines for purchasing and in the contracts we enter into with our suppliers. We choose environmentally friendly transport via barge and railway for bringing fuel to our power plants. must first be obtained from the inhouse medical services department and from the industrial safety and environment department. 23
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Page 3 and 4: Preface Ladies and Gentlemen, Gerha
Page 5 and 6: EnBW: Corporate Profile EnBW - Germ
Page 7 and 8: EnBW: Corporate Profile • More th
Page 9 and 10: At EnBW, environmentally-friendly u
Page 11: Special Topics The Mingolsheim fuel
Page 15 and 16: State of the Environment Report The
Page 17 and 18: State of the Environment Report Cit
Page 19 and 20: It is planned to use an innovative
Page 21 and 22: Objectives and Future Projects Acti
Page 23 and 24: Uranium is a safe and economical fu
Page 25 and 26: Further Information Combined heat a
Page 27 and 28: Further Information Our earth is an
Page 29 and 30: Coal is a fuel with high carbon con
Page 31 and 32: State of the Environment Report for
Page 39 and 40: Ecological Review - Facts and Detai
Page 41 and 42: In the additional cooling-tower wat
Page 43 and 44: Glossary Activity Decay rate of an
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Environmental Report 2000 - EnBW

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