Health and occupational safety

GRI 103 Management approach (103-1, 103-2, 103-3)

Relevance

The nuclear power plants in which Alpiq holds shares have a particular obligation to take account of safety aspects in a comprehensive, consistent and efficient way as well as to take measures to ensure they are implemented. This is done while taking into account ethical, economic and social principles as well as legal provisions. Responsibility for people and the environment is seen by Alpiq and the operators of the nuclear power plants as a central task. The focus is on the health and safety of the public, employees and external contractors.

Management approach

Occupational safety and protection of health are valued very highly in the power plants and are monitored and periodically inspected to identify and close any potential gaps. The overarching goals, rules of conduct and responsibilities for protecting people (public, employees and third parties) are specified in the code of conduct and the management and organisational manuals of the power plants in which Alpiq holds shares. The nuclear power plants in Switzerland are subject to the strictest safety standards.

Assessment

Since 2010, the key nuclear energy figures (reportable events, energy availability, dose values) have been communicated by the operators of the nuclear power plants exclusively by calendar year to ensure they can be compared with the official reports from ENSI and WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators). There is no additional conversion or communication for other periods of time (water year), as this prevents any contradictory data and misinterpretations when compared with the reports sent to ENSI and WANO.

Reportable events do not mean that measurable quantities of radioactive substances have been released. They simply indicate that there were irregularities in operation that needed to be observed and reported in accordance with guideline ENSI-B03. In the nuclear power plants in which Alpiq holds shares, there were no accidents with a measurable release of radioactive material in the reporting year.

Events that were reported in accordance with guideline ENSI-B03 in 2019 are listed in the following.

Reportable events in 2019 in accordance with guideline ENSI-B03

Number

INES 0 1

INES 1 1

INES 2 1

Gösgen nuclear power plant

7

1

0

Leibstadt nuclear power plant

11

0

0

1 International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) is a tool for communicating the safety significance of nuclear and radiological events to the public. 0 is the lowest and 7 is the highest level. For further information see the website of International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea.org).

For further information about these events, see the ENSI Oversight Report 2019 AN-10650.