Annual report - HSE

3.2 Responsibility to the natural environment
Environment-friendly
The HSE Group designed its environmental policy at the very beginning of its operation. Its
basic components can be summarised as follows:
• to produce electricity with a minimum impact on the environment;
• to observe all legal standards and recommendations;
• to introduce the best technologies available in order to minimise the impact on the
environment;
• to promote development of RES;
• to achieve a partnership with local communities and together solve environmental issues
and plan for sustainable development of electricity production;
• to achieve sustainable operation and development of energy capacities.
All electricity-producing companies in the HSE Group and the controlling company have
the ISO 9001 international quality certificate and the ISO 14001 international environmental
certificate. Through consistent observance of these standards, the companies ensure
safe and environment-friendly production of electricity in all hydropower plants. Thanks
to environmental rehabilitation and modernisation, both thermal power plants also
introduced more environment-friendly technologies, while PV was among the first
coalmines in the world to demonstrate comprehensive and responsible environmental
management in compliance with the requirements of the respective standard.
Renewable energy sources
HSE is aware of its responsibility to the environment in which it operates; therefore, its aim
is to produce electricity from RES and use it rationally.
Following the example of European countries, the area of RES is developing quickly in
Slovenia. The amendment to the Slovene Energy Act (2008) is therefore predominantly
devoted to RES-based electricity and in this context also to guarantees of origin. European
directive 2009/28/EC prescribes for each EU country a general goal regarding the share of
RES in the end consumption of energy for the year 2020. For Slovenia, this share amounts
to 25%.
In terms of volume, energy from hydropower plants is the most important source of E-RES
in Slovenia. The area of renewable energy sources is therefore highly important, both for
operation and the future external image of the Group. In the area of energy supply from
renewable sources, activities were launched in the second half of 2004 in connection with
the establishment of the domestic E-RES market (Blue Energy), participation in the drawing
up of implementing regulations covering this area and international activities relating to
the sale of renewable certificates at home and abroad.
Blue energy
HSE designed the Blue Energy project in 2004 in collaboration with distribution companies.
Blue energy stands for electricity produced from environment-friendly, renewable
sources. The project is aimed at encouraging the development of energy production
from renewable sources, establishing the market in such energy and selling this energy
in Slovenia. The Blue energy project enabled Slovenian electricity users on the whole
territory of Slovenia to choose by themselves from which sources the energy they use
will be produced. The sales of Blue Energy began in January 2005. Since 1 July 2007, i.e.
from the full liberalisation of the electricity market onwards, Blue Energy has become
available to business and household customers. We could feel the impact of recession on
the purchase of Blue Energy also in 2012, as the number of buyers dropped from 1,707 (at
the end of 2011) to 1,592 (at the end of 2012. Nevertheless, the amount of Blue Energy sold
increased, from more than 17 GWh (end of 2011) to almost 20 GWh (end of 2012).
All hydropower plants of the HSE Group holding the international RECS certificate
participate in the Blue Energy project. In Slovenia, HSE and distribution companies sell the
energy produced from renewable sources under the Blue Energy brand. HSE guarantees
renewability of energy to its project partners by cashing in an appropriate number of RECS
Annual Report HSE 2012
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