Annual report - HSE

National, European and global framework in 2012
The HSE Group currently operates in very unstable circumstances, which are not connected
solely to recovering of national economy, but also with outdated national energy strategy
for the following medium and long-term period. Therefore, our activities depend on
adoption of new National Spatial Plan (NSP) that would determine key guidelines and
investments in the Slovenian energy industry until 2030, but the document has not been
prepared yet. Legal arrangement of energy sector will undergo significant changes also
due to new Energy Act. Both relevant documents should have been adopted already in
2011; however, since the adoption was postponed, the HSE Group has faced the fact that
more precise time schedules and the scope of certain long-term projects, as well as their
respective acceptability on strategic level, will have to be analysed only after the adoption
of new NSP.
On 28 January 2012, changes and amendments to the current Energy Act (EZ-E) were
adopted, which transposed to the Slovenian national law the directive relating to promotion
of the use of energy from renewable sources, common rules for the internal market in
natural gas, geological storage of carbon dioxide, indication by labelling and standard
product information of the consumption of energy and other resources by energy-related
products, and establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for
energy-related products.
In 2012, the adoption of the following measures was expected: the Climate Change Act
and the Strategy for the Transition of Slovenia to a Low Carbon Society by 2050, which
would set ambitious objectives also for the fields of energy, comprising total reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector by 2050 and cancellation of coal import
by 2020. Both documents were submitted for public consultation, but have yet not been
adopted. The discussed issues are supposed to be covered by the new Climate Change
Act.
At the European level, the strategy Europe 2020 continued to be the key reference for
the HSE’s operations, as it determines 5 core goals to be achieved by 2020. Two of these
goals that have a direct impact on our operations are: reaching goals 3x20 in the area of
environment and energetics and a 3% EU GDP for research and development. In order to
achieve these goals, the EU established 7 initiatives, among which are ‘Resource Efficient
Europe’ for promotion of transition to low carbon economy, of increased RES utilisation, of
modernisation of the transport sector, and of energy sufficiency, and ‘Innovation Union’ for
improvement of framework conditions and access to finance for research and innovation.
In November 2012, the Energy Efficiency Directive was adopted. The directive provides
general framework for promotion of energy efficiency in the EU. The purpose of proposed
measures, besides closing the gap in reaching the EU’s 20% energy saving target, is to
realise the EU vision for 2050, i.e. to establish a resource efficient and low-carbon economy,
better energy sufficiency and improved reliability of energy supply. The directive became
effective as of 4 December 2012, while the Republic of Slovenia has to transpose it to the
national law by 5 June 2014, supposedly with the new Energy Act (EZ-1).
As at the end of 2012, the United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Doha,
India. The conference confirmed the extension of the Kyoto Protocol, which is the only
legally binding obligation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The Protocol is
effective until 2020, when it will be replaced with a new agreement, which will be binding
also for developing countries. The agreement is predicted to be ratified in three years.
2.5 Management system policy
2.5.1 Achieving objectives in the area of quality
Annual Report HSE 2012
2 Business Report
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Our permanent objectives regarding quality are:
• to meet customer demands;
• to achieve the strategic and tactical business objectives;