Five CEZ-operated power plants were awarded with an EMS certificate

Five CEZ power plants were given an international certificate for environmental protection management - EMS (Environmental Management System) yesterday. The pertinent certification company Det Norske Veritas granted this certificate to the following power plants: Tusimice, Chvaletice, Pocerady, Detmarovice and Dukovany. This success followed up the successful implementation of this system in the PrunĂ©rov power plant, which had been carried out as early in 1998 in the framework of a pilot project. The remaining CEZ-operated power plants are to be certified in the course of the next year.

"Both EMS and its certification process are aimed at implementing such measures which would enable the power plants continuously assess their environmental impact," said Tamara Spilkova, head of the EMS department in the Section of Standard Energetics and the leader of the project entitled "Environmental Protection Management". "These measures resulted particularly in reducing the environmental impact on the immediate vicinity of the power plant, but also in savings of material and energy through improved production quality. The awarded certificates confirm that the internal processes are in full compliance with ISO 14001 - an international standard for the systems," added Tamara Spilkova.

The EMS certificate proves that the company is really fulfilling its environmental protection policy objectives and also confirms the responsible attitude of the company management and employees with regard to this area. The certification procedure was preceded by a number of operations in the power plants, which are essential for the implementation of EMS, namely for the training of the company top and middle management, environmental review, elaborating company's own environmental policy and required management documentation, updating local operation regulations, emergency plans, carrying out internal EMS audits and an independent verification of the functionality of the power plant system and its preparedness for certification.

The functionality of the certification, the reliability of EMS and its compliance with the pertinent standard will be verified by periodical audits carried out in the next two years and by a so called re-certification audits which will be carried out the third year after the initial certification.

A functional environmental protection management system working in compliance with the Standard ISO 14001 currently belongs among the principal conditions defining the prosperity of large industrial enterprises in the EU countries as well as in the world. The CEZ Executive Board decided as early as in 1997 to implement the this standard gradually in all organisational units. The EMS certification of the coal-fired power plants is an appropriate climax of an extensive ecological programme which was carried out between 1992 and 1998, with an investment amounting to almost 50 billion CZK, which was used among other things for desulphurising the plants.

CEZ environmental protection policy is complemented by similar measures in the area of quality and safety management, so that they are mutually inclusive and can be appropriately incorporated into the entire management system. This system makes the production process more reliable, efficient and flexible and improves the internal organisation of the company.

Ladislav Kriz, Press Officer

20. 12. 2001