Environmental process management

SDGs

Responsibilities related to the supervision of the environmental area are fulfilled by the Environmental Protection Division within the structure of the Operational Management and Investment Department of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A. The department develops and sets standards in the area of environmental management in key PGE Group companies.

Environmental protection policy

Processes and activities relevant to environmental protection are defined in the PGE Group’s Environmental Protection Policy.

The policy defines the following elements

general principles, rights and obligations in the field of environmental protection applicable in the PGE Group.

The policy defines the following elements

key roles defined in the environmental protection management process to appropriate levels of the PGE Group management organisational structure.

The policy defines the following elements

environmental processes in the particular business units, taking into account the specific character of each unit.

The policy defines the following elements

constantly raising the awareness of the PGE Group’s employees in the field of environmental protection.

In 2023, as part of the project to integrate the Railway Power Engineering segment into the PGE Capital Group, the Environmental Protection Policy and the Declaration of the Management Board of PGE Energetyka Kolejowa S.A. on environmental policy were adopted for application in the company.

As part of the integration project, the following PGE Group’s environmental procedures were also implemented:

General Procedure – Context and Environmental Planning in the PGE Group
General Procedure – Calculation of the Carbon Footprint in the PGE Group,
General Procedure – Model of the Environmental Management System in the PGE Group

Code of Ethics and the environment

The PGE Group Code of Ethics obliges all employees to the rational use of natural resources, which is also reflected in the PGE S.A. Management Board’s Declaration on Environmental Policy. In this declaration, the Management Board assumed the obligation to continuously improve activities aimed at protecting and improving the state of the environment and to prevent pollution by implementing high and economically justified technological standards. The Management Board’s declaration is available on the PGE Group’s website: PGE Group.

In PGE S.A., a team responsible for the implementation, maintenance and improvement of the environmental management system based on the PN-EN ISO 14001:2015 standard has functioned since 2019.

Considering the key companies of the PGE Capital Group (PGE S.A., PGE GiEK, PGE EC, PGE EO, PGE Dystrybucja, PGE Ekoserwis, PGE EK), the ISO 14001:2015 standard is implemented in 100 percent of the companies and certified in the majority of the companies (PGE GiEK, PGE EC, PGE Ekoserwis, PGE EK).

To ensure that the environmental policy in the PGE Group is effectively implemented, administrators and coordinators of the environmental management system have been appointed in the particular companies.

The basic task of the ISO 14001 standard is to support environmental protection and pollution prevention in a manner that takes into account socio-economic needs, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

The Environmental Management System compliant with the PN-EN ISO 14001:2015 standard identifies and monitors the PGE Group’s influence on the environment, taking into account environmental impacts in the context of risks and opportunities for individual environmental aspects, internal and external factors, as well as stakeholders. The fulfilment of legal requirements for environmental protection and the volume of emissions to the environment are monitored on an ongoing basis.

The cyclical results of conducted audits confirm that both the regulations developed and the activities implemented as part of the certified Management System comply with the requirements of the standards and represent best practices that enhance management effectiveness. Where the need arises, improvement measures are implemented.

PGE Energetyka Kolejowa (PGE EK) carries out its activities on the basis of the adopted procedures of the Integrated Management System, environmental standards in the field of waste management, as well as IT tools enabling ongoing monitoring and supervision of the environmental protection area (Ekostrateg, ZMS, GIS Mapper, Fire Protection application, EOD).

In 2023, the company’s activities in the environmental area, in addition to the implementation of the integration project, focused on the implementation of the environmental tasks included in the Improvement Plans, for example:

adaptation of the places and methods of storing chemical substances and mixtures and the purchase of environmental first-aid kits, both on rail vehicles and in facilities,
adjustment of the places and methods of transformer storage,
organisation of technical gases storage in accordance with the requirements of the standard,
connection of facilities to the water supply network and acquisition of new water permits.

At the turn of 2022 and 2023, there was a transition from the “Industry Environmental Pollution Bank” programme to the state-of-the-art “Ekostrateg” web application. The programme allows the management of the environmental area, including the generation of reports on emissions, waste, water abstraction and the discharge of wastewater into the environment.

For several years, PGE Energetyka Kolejowa has also been taking measures to optimise energy consumption and reduce losses, particularly in transformation and distribution. These measures are sanctioned by the company’s ISO 50001-compliant Energy Management System, which has been implemented and certified.

PGE Energetyka Kolejowa has been working for many years to modernise its electricity infrastructure, which has a significant impact on reducing losses in the transformation and distribution of electricity.

EMAS

(EcoManagement and Audit Scheme) is an EU environmental certification system and a tool to support the implementation of a culture of sustainability within an organisation in terms of efficient management of available resources and energy. The system operates on the basis of the EU Regulation on the voluntary participation of organisations in the eco-management and audit scheme.

MAS is currently in place in two branches of PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna – the Opole Power Plant and the Dolna Odra Power Plant Complex – as well as two branches of PGE Energia Ciepła – the Wybrzeże CHP Plant and the Szczecin CHP Plant. Together with the prepared environmental declaration, it is subject to annual verification by an independent accredited verifier.

Registration in the EMAS system means meeting the highest standards in environmental management and audit.

The Opole Power Plant Branch and the Dolna Odra Power Plant Branch, which belong to PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna S.A., are among the organisations registered in the national Eco-Management and Audit Scheme () for the longest time, with the Opole Power Plant being the national leader in this respect.

In accordance with the requirements set out in the Directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (the so-called RED II), PGE Energia Ciepła has implemented the System for the Sustainability Criterion for in its Szczecin and Kielce branches, as well as in its subsidiary Zespół Elektrociepłowni Wrocławskich KOGENERACJA S.A. and the Czechnica Power Plant. As proof of a properly implemented Sustainability Criterion system, the locations have been certified to use for the production of electricity and heat. Current certificates are available on the website of the Oil and Gas Institute (INiG). PGE Energia Ciepła completed a recertification audit in 2022 and obtained the relevant certificates authorising the use of sustainable for electricity and heat production for the following year.

The system for the Sustainability Development Criterion for has also been certified at the Dolna Odra Power Plant Branch of PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna S.A.

The INiG KZR scheme is a global voluntary scheme recognised by the European Commission. Its participants are required to verify the scope of certification of the entire life cycle of biofuels, bioliquids and fuels. Registration in the scheme signifies that the organisation meets the requirements of the sustainability criteria as required by the European Commission. PGE Energia Ciepła as a producer of heat and electricity is subject to certification in the system with regard to the implementation of a mass balance, calculation of greenhouse gas emissions, calculation of efficiency based on its own operating data.

Green Office Certificate

In many PGE Group locations, offices have undergone the “Green Office” certification process conducted by the Foundation for Environmental Education. The certificate is an acknowledgement of green office management and its implementation contributes to generating savings through rational management of resources and to raising the environmental awareness of employees. Alongside the implementation of the Green Office standard, the PGE Group has trained its employees in the application of green principles at home and in the office. Best practices in the day-to-day running of the company include the conscious use of water resources, electricity and heat or paper for office purposes.

Holding the “Green Office” certificate confirms that PGE Group companies undertake pro-environmental initiatives which have the effect of reducing their impact on the natural environment, also in the administrative aspect, through, among other things:

the reuse of binders,
the introduction of central printing points and the use of tracing printing and the default setting of printers to duplex and black and white printing,
the implementation of electronic document workflow in SAP (which reduces the use of paper and toner),
the use of the intranet for internal communication,
waste segregation,
the introduction of special containers for bottle caps and electro-waste,
the posting of information on light extinguishing,
and adherence to the principles of the implemented Code of Ethics.

In 2023, the following companies held the Green Office Certificate:

PGE S.A

PGE Dystrybucja

the head office and branches: Białystok, Lublin, Łódź, Rzeszów, Skarżysko-Kamienna, Warszawa, Zamość

PGE Obrót

with the registered office in Rzeszów, and the company’s six locations in Białystok, Lublin, Warsaw, Łódź, Skarżysko-Kamienna and Zamość

PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna

the head office and seven branches

Tools

Next page

Previous page

Environmental process management

Environmental protection policy

The policy defines the following elements

The policy defines the following elements

The policy defines the following elements

The policy defines the following elements

As part of the integration project, the following PGE Group’s environmental procedures were also implemented:

Code of Ethics and the environment

In PGE S.A., a team responsible for the implementation, maintenance and improvement of the environmental management system based on the PN-EN ISO 14001:2015 standard has functioned since 2019.

The basic task of the ISO 14001 standard is to support environmental protection and pollution prevention in a manner that takes into account socio-economic needs, in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.

In 2023, the company’s activities in the environmental area, in addition to the implementation of the integration project, focused on the implementation of the environmental tasks included in the Improvement Plans, for example:

EMAS

Registration in the EMAS system means meeting the highest standards in environmental management and audit.

Green Office Certificate

Holding the “Green Office” certificate confirms that PGE Group companies undertake pro-environmental initiatives which have the effect of reducing their impact on the natural environment, also in the administrative aspect, through, among other things: