Aspect: Waste and wastewater
EN22 Total wastewater discharges
In cases where the type or quantity of a wastewater stream differs from ordinary household wastewater, EVN concludes contracts with sewage treatment plant operators based on the indirect discharge. These contracts contain detailed provisions for the allowable amount of wastewater, the main substances it may contain, required wastewater inspections, etc. Direct discharges into surface water are regulated by the wastewater emission ordinance and numerous water-related guidelines. EVN’s wastewater streams are regularly tested by accredited external institutions. Possible harmful environmental effects are minimised by strict compliance with the requirements of various public authorities concerning cooling water intake temperatures.
| Development of waste quantities1) | 2013/142) | 2012/13 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazardous waste | t | 10,703 | 9,266 | ||
| Non-hazardous waste | t | 180,512 | 137,663 | ||
| Export of hazardous waste3) | |||||
| Hazardous waste | t | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1) With no construction residue or power plant side products 2) From 2013/14 incl. WTE and Kraftwerk Duisburg-Walsum (proportionally) 3) Oil containing PCBs from Macedonia to France for disposal | |||||
Environmental costs by cost categories
Environmental costs by environment media
The purification plants operated by EVN’s subsidiary WTE discharged a total of 154,758,139 m³ of purified wastewater into surface water in five countries during the 2013 calendar year.
EN23 Waste by type and disposal method
The hazardous and non-hazardous waste regularly occurring in Austria is transferred to licensed disposal specialists based on framework contracts. These specialists dispose of the waste in accordance with Austrian law (thermal or material utilisation or deposition).
EVN recycles all fly ash and coarse ash. REALIT was stored in companyowned landfills up to October 2009 and has been utilised to 100% since November 2009. Roughly one-half of the biomass ash from district heat production is transferred to a disposal firm and then utilised.
EN24 Weight and volume of significant contamination
EVN records all environmentally relevant incidents in a standardised reporting system that covers the plants in Austria, Bulgaria and Macedonia. There were three significant cases of contamination at EVN’s Austrian plants during the reporting year. The incidents involved oil spills which led to the pollution of 130 m³ of soil. None of the incidents involved contamination of the ground water. In all three cases, the polluted earth was disposed and the areas were restored based on consultations with the public authorities.
EN25 Weight of waste categorised as dangerous
No hazardous or non-hazardous waste was disposed of across national borders in 2013/14.
EN26 Waters affected by wastewater discharges and surface run-off
A major part of the wastewater is cleaned by treatment plants before it reaches any surface water. At the power plants, quality-monitored wastewater flows that meet current environmental standards are discharged into the Danube River. This practice does not cause any relevant damage.
Duisburg-Walsum power plant –
utilised quantities of by-products
Austrian power plants –
utilised quantities of power plant by-products
