Pollution

Limiting air pollutant emissions is an important goal that Alpiq pursues and takes into account when making strategic decisions. Alpiq deploys certified mana­gement systems in accordance with each specific production technology and country regulation framework to track the effectiveness of its progress in limiting pollutants.

For the CCGT and OCGT power plants, the following emissions limits are in place and adhered to:

Above emissions limits can vary within the same country because they depend on plant technology, age and regional authority intentions. Some authorities intend to reduce those thresholds to contribute to national emission reduction goals.

In addition, the Group companies are legally required to conduct environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for assets that are newly constructed, upgraded or modified, in order to ensure that potential pollution impacts are avoided, mitigated and addressed appropriately. Those pollution requirements are integrated into the licence conditions.

For each of Alpiq’s CCGT power plants, spill and leakage prevention and mitigation/response measures are in place. Spill and leakage prevention includes the proper storage of hazardous materials and waste, regular inspections, training and awareness creation, and contention measures. These measures prevent potential negative impacts caused by the discharge of water that is too warm or that differs from the pH limit mandated by authorities. Mitigation is ensured through the use of spill response kits. For groundwater monitoring, the CCGT power plants in Italy and Hungary have installed several piezometers to determine the level, quality and flow patterns of groundwater.

At the business unit Hydro Generation Switzerland, environmental incidents (without impacts on the environment) and accidents (with impacts on the environment) are constantly being monitored, allowing Alpiq to identify, consolidate and analyse these incidents and accidents. This ensures that appropriate measures can be taken, and feedback can be used to improve practices if necessary.

However, apart from the targets already in place and adhered to, Alpiq has not yet defined any specific pollution reduction targets.

In 2024, Alpiq’s CCGT and OCTG power plants have emitted the following amounts of air pollutants:

In order to track pollution, Alpiq applies different pollution measurement methodologies depending on the plant and the type of pollution to be measured.

For air pollution measurement of the closed-cycle and open-cycle gas-fired power plants, Spain makes use of air vector measurement methodology, whereby the meters used are subject to legal meteorological control. In Italy and Hungary, all gas-turbine plants are equipped with Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) that measure the levels and flow rates of the different pollutants, and an alarm is triggered if the limits are exceeded. Furthermore, a yearly analysis performed by an external certified laboratory as well as methane (CH₄) sensors and leakage detection systems are used to measure air pollution in Italy.

In Spain, carbon oxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NO_x are measured in real time using the company’s own sensors in the stack. A third party checks for particulates and sulphur oxide (SO_x) every six months. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) and fluorinated gases are checked whenever refills are necessary. Soil pollution is measured by piezometers, while sea water measurements are taken by flow meters (owned by Naturgy).

In Italy, air pollution is measured through stacks downstream of the heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and the auxiliary boilers of the power plants are equipped with sensors for continuous measurement of air pollutants. The data read by the sensors is processed by Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) and recorded by distributed control systems (DCS). Data can be read continuously by connecting to the system or can be extracted and organised into daily/monthly/annual reports. For wastewater, the pH and temperature values of the Novara wastewater basin are read by sensors that transmit the data directly to the DCS. Soil pollution is monitored by conducting analyses of water taken from piezometers. These analyses are carried out by an accredited external laboratory and the results transmitted with reports.

In Hungary, air quality is measured through stacks downstream of the gas turbines of the power plant, which are equipped with sensors for continuous measurement of pollution parameters. The data read by the sensors is processed by CEMS and recorded by DCS. Data can be read continuously by connecting to the system or can be extracted and organised into daily/monthly/annual reports. For wastewater, the pH and temperature values are read by sensors that transmit the data directly to the DCS. Groundwater is checked by an accredited external company and the results are transmitted to Alpiq, where they are stored.