June 4 to 10, 2006, marks the start of Environment Week, and at Hydro we are
proud to highlight our accomplishments and focus on our environmental efforts
through the release of our annual Environmental Performance Report
and other Environment Week activities.
We have a collective responsibility as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to
conduct ourselves in an environmentally sustainable manner and to do all we can
to take care of the resources and environment entrusted to us. For Hydro, and
everyone who works here, Environment Week is a celebration; yet the remaining
51 weeks of the year are equally important in terms of our environmental
commitment and responsibilities.
Over the past year, we have spent considerable time refocusing the organization
and its goals to closely align with our expanded mandate from our shareholder.
While many of those goals focus on specific aspects of our business, one goal
intersects and impacts our entire organization: To Be an Environmental Leader.
As a company and a member of the community we have a belief and a
responsibility to protect the environment we live and work in. We will
strengthen our commitment to protecting the environment and will focus on
reducing emissions from our power generation activities. Our Environmental
Management System and ISO 14001 certification are key components of this
commitment and they will continue to be the cornerstone of our environmental
work.
In pursuing new business opportunities, we are looking to clean, renewable
sources of energy to meet our domestic and export requirements. For example, we
are closely examining wind energy to assess how it can offset some of the
thermal generation requirements of the Holyrood Thermal Generating Station. A
request for proposals for the provision of 25 MW of cost-effective, wind energy
for the island is currently in progress and will conclude late in 2006.
Increasing wind generation will increase our renewable energy capacity and
potentially help reduce the requirement for fuel at our Holyrood plant and
reduce associated emissions. But even before that happens, we are taking
important steps to reduce sulphur emissions. In 2005, Hydro’s Board of
Directors approved the purchase of lower sulphur fuel, moving to one per cent
sulphur content instead of the current two per cent. This switch will be
completed mid-2006 and will reduce sulphur emissions by 50 per cent and
particulate emissions by 40 per cent. It is one important step to ensure
cleaner air for our neighbours near the Holyrood plant.
We have also been tasked to lead the development of the lower Churchill
resource. The capacity of the lower Churchill River to provide clean, renewable
hydro electricity is tremendous. The requirement across Canada and throughout
the United States for clean energy is an important factor in our current
efforts.
We know we are doing important environmental work, and in 2005, those efforts
were recognized externally as well. Hydro received several commendations for
its Granite Canal Hydroelectric Development including the 2005 Outstanding
Stewardship of America’s Rivers Awards from the National Hydropower
Association. The company was recognized for its Granite Canal Hydroelectric
Development that balances electricity production with the protection of local
fish species and their habitat. The facility also received the Ecologo™
Certification, which acknowledges that the electricity generated is renewable
and has a low environmental impact. As well, Granite Canal Providing Fish
Habitat and Renewable Generation was a feature article of the November 2005
issue of Hydro Review, the magazine of the North American hydroelectric
industry.
I invite you to explore the various sections of this report to learn more about
our community partnerships, how we work to preserve sensitive habitats and how
we operate the fourth largest utility in Canada to have the least environmental
impacts possible. Led by the outstanding efforts of our Environmental Services
Department, and guided by our Environmental Management Systems, we will
continue to improve our operations as we move forward with our expanded
mandate.
Ed Martin
President and CEO
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