Land use and biodiversity (EN 11–15)
Vattenfall’s most significant land use pertains to electric distribution corridors, power plants – especially hydro power plants – and lignite mining operations in Germany. Due to the diverse nature of the operations and the large number of sites, information on protected status and biodiversity values of sites is handled locally as it is most efficient. Information is therefore not gathered at the Group level.
Vattenfall has developed the Biotope Method, an assessment tool for quantifying the impacts on biodiversity of land and water use. Impact assessments of Vattenfall’s Nordic generation are described in Environmental Product Declarations (can be found at www.environdec.com). For impacts in the supply chain, see HR2.
Land use in lignite mining
Vattenfall’s lignite mining in Lausitz, Germany, is conducted in open-cast mines, which claim land areas. The impact on the landscape is considerable when the cast is open, but mining and re-cultivation of mined areas are two phases of the same operation.
Re-cultivation planning starts during the early planning stages of mining. The interests of authorities and business as well as the concerns of the local community are taken into consideration in the early planning. All affected stakeholders are invited to take part in the process. (See also Impact on society, management approach and SO1, EU19, EU21.)
All land used for open-cast lignite mines is acquired by Vattenfall.
Co-operation with potential future land users and local stakeholders creates a solid basis for making productive use of the land after concluding mining activities.
Re-cultivation programmes aim to achieve a natural, pre-industrial landscape. The objective is to allow for sustainable agriculture, forestry and water management in the post-mining areas in combination with desirable biodiversity, a harmonic landscape and possibilities for outdoor life. The factors that characterise the new landscape are soil quality, land and water distribution, and topography. Lakes are planned into the post-mining landscape. The preparatory shaping work for lake creation is done already during the mining operation.
During the active operational period of Vattenfall’s five lignite mines in Germany, 159 km2 have been claimed up until now. Land use in 2008 was 5.77 km2 (5.66 km2 in 2007). Large quantities of land mass are redistributed in order to enable lignite extraction from the open-cast mines. In 2008, a total of 459 million m3 of land mass (449 million m3 in 2007), mainly sand, was moved to extract 58 million tonnes (59.5 million tonnes in 2007) of lignite. A total of 4.2 km2 (4.9 km2 in 2007) were re-cultivated, of which 1.33 km2 have become forestlands.
Vattenfall owns and operates 380 km of railway in Germany. Rail is used for transporting lignite from mines to power plants. Rail is also used to transport lime to the power plants and ash and gypsum from the plants. The railway is connected to Deutsche Bahn at two junctions. Vattenfall owns and operates its own fleet of engines and wagons.
Land use and biodiversity around electricity distribution corridors
Electricity networks also have an impact on large land areas. Overhead transmission and distribution lines, in particular, claim significant land areas. In some cases, this has a positive impact on biodiversity. In Sweden, studies show that many rare species have found refuge around overhead distribution grid lines thanks to the regularly recurring right-of-way clearance. Sections of Vattenfall’s Swedish power line corridors have been declared “Natura 2000” areas. This means these areas represent valuable natural habitats to be preserved with the help and support of the EU, with the aim of protecting biodiversity.
Electricity networks claim land areas, and the length of transmission and distribution grid lines provides an indication of the land areas used. The lengths of Vattenfall’s local and regional distribution grid lines are 187,800 km in the Nordic region, 26,200 km in Poland and 77,000 km in Germany. In the cities of Berlin and Hamburg, the networks are mainly served by underground cables. In addition, Vattenfall has 10,000 km of transmission grid lines in Germany.
In 2008 Vattenfall’s Nordic Distribution operations were certified according to ISO 14001.
Land use for power plants
Power plants, offices and other buildings use limited land area.
Reservoirs and hydro power plants have a significant impact on the landscape. Vattenfall’s most significant impact comes from the large reservoirs for river regulation in Sweden, involving both natural lakes and inundated land. Inundated land area amounts to approximately 640 km2. Storage capacity varies from a few months to more than a year. The change in water levels of the various reservoirs varies from 2 metres to 34 metres. Storage capacities of the reservoirs range from 300 million m3 to 9,500 million m3. Some of the Swedish reservoirs are natural lakes. Vattenfall has established a number of protected areas along the Lule River in Sweden, which has proved to harbour several rare and threatened species, protecting them from future exploitation.
In Poland, Vattenfall has decided to reclaim a former ash disposal field located in the Greater Warsaw area. The ash may be reused in the construction of a bridge nearby, thereby reducing the need to transport material from other locations to the site. The reclaimed area may be used for city development once Vattenfall has completed ground decontamination operations.
