Environmental risks, including those associated with climate change, are fully integrated into the Group’s EMS and internal control system in coordination with Group risk management. They are subject to action plans resulting from strategic priorities in the Group’s CSR policy.
The identification of environmental risks is part of the Group’s overall risk management system (see chapter 2 “Risk factors and control framework”). Each company draws up its own risk map, based on the Group’s methodology, and defines action plans to reduce and limit its risks. As in previous years, the most significant factors pertain to the following subjects:
| Main environmental risks | |
|---|---|
| Risk factors | Activities most affected |
|
Climate change and GHG emissions |
Power and heat generation activities from fossil fuel |
|
Power generation activities (nuclear, thermal, hydropower, wind and solar power) |
The main change concerns the observation of the effects of climate change with higher temperatures in summer and droughts increasing the pressure on both environments and some of the Group’s business lines such as hydropower and nuclear activities.
At the end of 2021, the Group has eight high-threshold SEVESO sites (1) and 32 low-threshold sites (2).
In order to control risks of industrial incidents or accidents that could harm the natural environment or public health, EDF has implemented a Group environmental management system. The system is based on an active investment policy incorporating:
The Group crisis management policy which requires the regular testing of crisis systems through an annual programme of crisis response drills (see section 2.1.3.6 “Crisis management and business continuity”). The industrial incident at the Lubrizol Seveso site in France (non-EDF site) led to a change in the regulatory framework and generated specific internal feedback in order to identify avenues for progress in the layout and protection of storage facilities.
Locally, each of the Group’s operational units and companies identify events that could have an environmental impact, manage emergency situations that could result from them, conduct corresponding crisis response drills, implement investigations and monitoring corrective actions, and communicate on environmental events under its responsibility.
| No EVE | Actions to closely supervise and monitor production processes have made it possible to avoid high-stake environmental events with a significant impact on the environment. Certain operational events such as hydrocarbon leaks and alignment deficiencies in effluent transfers may result in litigation arising from complaints lodged by NGOs or associations and notices to comply issued by national regulatory authorities (ASN, DREAL, etc.). |
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In 2021, €7,000 in penalties were imposed on EDF for shortcomings in adhering to current regulations on monitoring and control, in application of the Environmental Code, at the Bugey and Gravelines sites. The corrective actions undertaken led to the resolution of these two situations.
(1) These sites include Bellefontaine B, Pointe Jarry, East Port and Jarrie in France, Hole House in the UK, and Collalto, Cellino and San Polito in Italy.
(2) Upper and lower threshold: industrial sites are “Seveso” classified according to their technological risk depending on the quantities and types of hazardous products they handle. There are two different thresholds which classify sites as “Seveso low-threshold” or “Seveso high-threshold”. The requirements vary significantly between these two types; they are very restrictive for the high threshold, particularly with regard to the safety management system, informing the public and the prevention plan, etc.
(3) High-stake environmental event: an event causing serious environmental damage (areas, resources and natural environments, sites and landscapes, air quality, animal and plant species, biological diversity and equilibriums) combined with extensive media coverage or a financial impact of more than €3 million. An event causing environmental damage and likely to affect human health falls within the scope of a high-stake environmental event for the EDF group.
