Non-financial report 2020
Non-financial report 2020
The activities of PGE Group companies, in particular the generation of electricity and heat in power plants and combined heat and power plants, result in the production of waste that cannot always be reused or utilised.
With a view to protecting natural resources and minimising adverse impact on the environment, PGE Group’s operations are aimed at reducing the volume of waste deposited in landfills.
PGE Group companies use their resources reasonably. The rehabilitation of post-industrial sites is an integral stage in the process of terminating mineral extraction operations. The decommissioning of pits is aimed at making them usable and restoring them to the environment. The minerals accompanying lignite deposits play an important role in the sustainable supply chain of raw and other materials. The utilisation of such minerals contributes to rational lignite deposit management and surface protection. All generated waste that is not utilised on the companies’ premises is transferred to external companies that hold relevant permits and authorisations.
The generated volume of hazardous waste decreases year by year. For the entire PGE Group, a reduction of approximately 2.8% was observed in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2020 only PGE Energia Odnawialna produced a greater volume of waste than in the previous years. This was related to the modernisation works carried out at the Dębe hydroelectric power plant, including the disassembly of the hydrosystem and auxiliary installations. Such waste is transferred to an authorised waste management entity.
Particularly noteworthy is the significant reduction in the generation of non-hazardous waste. Across PGE Group, 5.28 million tonnes of non-hazardous waste was generated in 2020, more than 12% less than in 2019.
The development of the Live Working technology, which is considered to be a modern technology of conducting power network operations without the necessity of shutting down power supply lines, influences the maintenance of the quality standards of transmission and distribution services, as well as reduces grid losses. An important advantage of the Live Working technology is also the extension of the operating time of switching devices (disconnectors, interrupters and circuit breakers), which has an impact on reducing the amount of waste generated in this area.