Hydraulic generating facilities can affect ecological continuity in aquatic environments. The Group has implemented over 200 schemes to facilitate fish migration on sites with ecological implications (specifically on listed waterways).
This involves dam crossing equipment (such as “fish ladders”) and the dismantling of weirs in rivers.
| Poutès |
This project allows access to spawning grounds upstream from the structure that are home to 47% of the Allier basin’s spawning salmon, i.e. the majority of the Loire basin’s spawning pool. |
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| Romanche-Gavet | This project significantly improves the state of the Romanche valley’s natural and aquatic environments. It consists of replacing six old power plants and five old dams with a new dam and a new, more efficient underground power plant. The new dam is equipped with an upstream and downstream fish and sediment ladder. From 2021 to 2024, the project is continuing with the decommissioning of the dams to allow fish to move freely, taking account of the river’s specific hydromorphological characteristics. In 2024, all the old structures will have been decommissioned. As a result, 4 hectares of industrial land will have been returned to the natural environment, including 1 hectare to the river. |
| Vezins et La Roche Qui Boit | On the River Sélune, EDF launched the Roche Qui Boit dam decommissioning phase. These actions should lead to the full restoration of the river’s natural functions, opening it up to the return of diadromous migratory fish (salmon, eels, shad, lamprey). |
| Belgium |
Luminus and its partners (University of Liege and Namur, Profish, EDF R&D) have continued a programme to model the behaviour of migrating fish and reduce their mortality during the passage of hydroelectric facilities. The “Life4Fish” programme (2017-2023) is supported by the European Commission thanks to €1,913,000 in funding as part of the “Life” programme and with an overall budget of €4 million. |
To meet its industrial needs, EDF must have access to land without increasing soil artificialisation. This is why its land tenure strategy is driven by the overriding principle of sobriety. See section 3.2.2 “Responsible land management”.
Within this framework of a land sobriety approach (1), EDF is committed to monitoring the level of soil waterproofing during the conversion of former continental thermal sites in order to limit it in the long term.
In 2020, a first assessment of waterproofed land was carried out based on waterproofing rate data from the Corine Land Cover database (2). Approximately 20% of this land is estimated to have a waterproofing rate of over 50%.
In 2021, works continued to compare options to assess land takes on thermal land undergoing conversion. Studies were carried out on different decommissioning activities at old thermal plants to identify operations liable to have a positive impact on the level of soil waterproofing (removal of coverings, backfilling). Exploratory R&D works were begun in partnership with BRGM to carry out an initial assessment on a site of soil functions after rehabilitation (rehabilitation based on a management plan approved by the administrative authorities).
| Removal of waterproofing |
Three sites can be considered to have had their waterproofing freshly removed in 2022:
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In the areas operated by Enedis (3), new HV lines were completed underground or unobtrusively for low voltage (LV).
Several EDF buildings have received “BiodiverCity®” certification, a streamlined approach for players involved in sustainable construction (4), such as the Grande Halle in Lyon.
EDF’s activity is partially dependent on the availability of fresh water. EDF has worked for years to reduce its water footprint. See section 3.2.3.1.2 “Optimisation of water use and reducing pressure on environments”. The same applies to raw materials and rare-earth metals. See section 3.2.4 “Waste and circular economy”.
| Forest resources | In terms of forest resources, EDF reviewed its Group-wide biomass policy, including new biodiversity commitments, particularly specifying that neither direct nor indirect deforestation were permitted to meet EDF’s biomass-energy needs. |
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To enable the Group to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, EDF R&D began work focused on carbon offsetting. The challenge was to favour solutions that promote CO2 sequestration in natural ecosystems. The Group’s initial initiatives are described in section 3.1.1.6 “Use of negative emissions solutions”.
(1) See also section 3.2.2 “Responsible land management”.
(2) Biophysical inventory of changing land cover in 44 classes.
(3) GRI G4 EN 13 – Disclosure 304-4.
(4) cibi-biodivercity.com/biodivercity/
