Environmental Report 2000 - EnBW

State of the Environment Report
Water Output – Cooling Water
in million m 3
3,500
3,000
2,500
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
By oxygenating the recovered cooling
water with water cascades, air jets or
cooling towers as well as by cleaning
it of large quantities of rubbish, our
power plants are making a vital contribution
to improved river water quality.
Last year our power plant sites removed
3,401 tonnes of dirt (rakings)
from river water. Where feasible we
turned this rubbish to compost. Noncompostable
material such as plastic
bottles and tin cans is graded and
recycled.
32
3,038.11
1997
Cooling Water
2,141.97
1998
2,264.10
1999
1,740.42
2000
Water Output – Evaporation Water
in million m 3
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
23.71
1997
48.55
1998
Evaporation Water
44.57
1999
Electro-magnetic fields
50.83
2000
Power for our customers is conveyed
over our grid to the end user. When
electricity flows through a cable it
produces an electro-magnetic field
which, although not generally detectable
by normal human senses, is easily
measured on a technical instrument.
The debate on whether electro-magnetic
fields cause an adverse effect
on human health has been given a
solid grounding with the definition of
precautionary critical values following
the 1997 enactment of the 26th
ordinance based on the “BImSchG”
law on immission control.
Water Output – Waste Water
in million m 3
1.2
0.9
0.6
0.3
0
0.14
0.08
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
0.24
0.83 1.13 500 0.57 0.43
0
1997 1998 1999
Waste Water (sewage system)
Waste Water (direct discharge)
0.24
2000
Over the past few years we have
monitored our facilities to ascertain
their compliance with the provisions
and critical values laid down in the
ordinance. Two transformers have
been modified to ensure full compliance.
Wherever possible we opt for standardised
facilities registered with the
appropriate inspection authorities or
with manufacturer’s certification.
Transformers without that hum
Machines 60 can make a lot of noise. 1,5Noise
pollution is a major environmental problem in
50
Germany. One of the chief sources 1,2of
noise is road traffic. Fortunately there is a whole
40
battery of technological options for 0,9 reducing noise pollution levels.
30
20
Power 10 plants and other facilities are
often 0 situated near residential areas.
This makes effective acoustical insulation
a matter of special concern.
Low-noise motors and ventilators,
sound-dampening insulation and
sound-deadening walls all help to reduce
the sound level to within official
critical limits.
Our commitment to nature conservation
can be illustrated in a number of
ways from greening of roofs and planting
open land with local flora and our
comprehensive ecologically friendly
cable routing policy to the creation of
nesting sites for endangered bird species
such as the migratory falcon and
the systematic ecological approach
we adopt with our river power plants.
In cooperation with the Ministry for
the Environment, we have launched
an extensive programme for the pro-
0,6
0,3
Integrated sound dampeners in
power 0,0 plant chimneys
In our plants we draw up “noise matrix
diagrams”. Employees in areas with
particularly high noise levels are provided
with noise-protection equipment.
Our noise reduction programme has
been designed for a quieter working
environment with a range of measures
including removing the characteristic
“hum” from our new transformers
tection of large birds which involves
equipping medium-voltage pylons
with bird deterrents. Last year alone
we equipped around 6,000 pylons
with such devices at a cost of around
€ 1.9 million. The bird protection programme
should be completed by late
2002.
A home for storks in Ettenheim
In the Rheinhausen regional centre
we have equipped a 16-metre high
mast with a stork nest to promote
and integrating sound-dampeners in
the chimneys of our power plants.
The conversion of the 220-kV line
near Ravensburg has lead to a significant
reduction in noise levels. The
monitoring programme to ascertain
noise levels under a number of different
climatic conditions which is being
carried out with the authorities and
private-initiative groups is scheduled
for completion in 2001.
Nature conservation is one of our primary concerns
Technical installations like buildings, power plants or high-tension cables all have an
impact on our environment and on the balance of nature. We are committed to the search
for intelligent and innovative solutions that can minimise or compensate for this impact.
colonisation. The “Nabu” nature conservation
group in Ettenheim will be
responsible for its up-keep and the
local communities hope it will prove
attractive for the birds. A family of
storks found nesting on a pylon in
Stockach near Lake Constance has
been removed and given a new home.
And the Mainhard local branch of the
“Schwäbische Albverein” nature association
has converted a disused
transformer into a one-of-a-kind home
for owls, bats, hedgehogs and bees.
33