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35
MYTILINEOS HOLDINGS - SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
2016
Surface water (m
3
)
2014
2015
2016
Volume of seawater used in the cooling systems of the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant
of ALUMINIUM OF GREECE. The limit to the volume of water withdrawn annually is determined
by the Water Resources Management Directorate of the Sterea Regional Administration.
161,733.,577
159,609,769
124,044,607
Ground water (m
3
)
2014
2015
2016
Volume of industrial service and drinking water used primarily to meet the manufacturing/
processing, energy and water supply needs of the Group’s industrial facilities. This quantity
is obtained from a network of 17 drills, owned by ALUMINIUM of GREECE, which the company
operates in the broader region around its plant, in strict compliance with the provisions of the
Water Resources Management Directorate of the Sterea Regional Administration.
4,997,097
5,159,676
5,067,653
Municipal water supplies (m
3
)
2014
2015
2016
Volume of water from municipal reserves and public water supply utilities used to meet the
needs of the Group's buildings and primarily industrial facilities. 92% of this quantity was water
withdrawn from the Athens Water Supply and Sewerage Company (EYDAP - Mornos River
Connection), which is primarily used in the Metallurgy sector (industrial use).
152,555
62,897
164,949
Rainwater (m
3
)
2014
2015
2016
Rainwater collected directly in a special reservoir configured in the area of a disused mine,
used by DELPHI-DISTOMON.
6,000
7,000
6,460
7.2.4 Water
On a Group level, in 2016, a total of 129.2 million m
3
of water were
withdrawn, 6.2 million m
3
were consumed and 124.5 million
m
3
were discharged. The total water required for the Group’s
activities, from drills and public water supply utilities, stood at 5.23
million m
3
, up by 0.2% from 2015. At the same time, the quantity of
seawater withdrawal, used in the cooling systems of the Group’s
heavy industry plants, fell by 23.8%. This reduction was due to
the temporary halting of operation for maintenance purposes
of the High Efficiency Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant of
ALUMINIUM of GREECE.
The Group expanded its participation in international initiatives on
sustainable development, by participating for the first time, on a
voluntary basis, in the water resources management programme
of the
Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP)
global sustainable
development initiative (June 2016).
In accordance with the results of its evaluation, MYTILINEOS Group
was given a
“LEVEL B”
ranking, as it was found to record the
impact of its activity on water, to have in place a concrete policy with
clear targets, and to take specific actions in line with rational water
management and use. This result is also reflected in the Group’s
specific performance levels for 2016, where it posted an overall
increase by
21%
in the quantity of water saved in the power plants of
its Energy sector, aswell as further reductions of water consumption
in the Metallurgy sector, by
3.3%
and
4.2%
per tonne of hydrated
alumina and primary cast aluminium produced, respectively.
Regarding the seawater used in the cooling systems of the Combined
Heat and Power (CH) plant of ALUMINIUMOFGREECE, in addition to the
strict compliance with the relevant provisions of the laws determining
the framework for preventing any environmental impact, the company
commissions an authoritative organisation (Hellenic Centre for Marine
Research-HCMR)toconductofaresearchstudytomonitorthestatusof
living organisms (benthic biocoenoses, with emphasis on thermophilic
species) on the Antikyra Gulf seabed.
Finally, the quantity of water reused or recycled in the Group’s
activity sectors in 2016 stood at 5.49 million m
3
(corresponding
to 4.2% of the total volume of water withdrawn).
G4-EN10
Of this total quantity, 99.8% concerns water recycled/reused
in the Energy sector. More specifically: (a) The utilisation of
5,470,877 m
3
of seawater from the cooling systems of the
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant of ALUMINIUM OF
GREECE by the Ag. Nikolaos thermal power plant of Protergia,
after which it is returned back; and (b) the recycling of 26,819
m
3
of liquid waste from the Heat Recovery Boiler of the gas-
fired combined cycle thermal power plant in Ag. Theodoroi,
Korinthia.
Water withdrawal sources
G4EN8
Group policy on the responsible management of water:
responsible-management-of-water
The activity of MYTILINEOS Group depends, to a great extent, on
the use of natural resources, while the proper management and
protection of biodiversity has been recognised worldwide as the
most important matter with regard to environmental sustainability
after climate change.
MYTILINEOS Group has ensured that its operation does not
affect legally protected regions or regions with a high degree
of biodiversity. Therefore, there is no material impact that may
adversely affect, directly or indirectly, the integrity of the geographic
area or region where the Group’s business units are located.
More specifically:
• In the Metallurgy & Mining sector, the aluminium production
plant doesnot fall under any category of legally protected regions,
while the mining activity, which relates mostly to underground
mines in the region of Fokida, respects the area’s biodiversity
through the performance and publication of Environmental
Impact assessments and the establishment of restoration plans
for the usable areas. Company DELPHI-DISTOMON, a subsidiary
of ALUMINIUM of GREECE, systematically promotes the planting
of trees and so far has planted approximately 1,100,000 trees
across a total reforestation area that exceeds 1.8 million m
2
. It is
also worth pointing out that, the last 5 years, an annual average
of 250,000 tonnes of waste rock from limestone was produced
during the mining process. This quantity has been disposed
of into pre-existing cavities at ground-level and underground
sites. At the end of 2016, the total area used for exploitation in
the mining process was
130 acres (down by 7%
compared to
the end of 2015), the area of the land which is under restoration
amounted to
237 acres (up by 4.4%
compared to 2015) and the
percentage of restored land since the start of our mining activity
over the total usable area stood at
80.04%
.
• In the Energy sector, with regard to the Group’s activity for the
construction of wind farms near areas classified as Special
Protection Zones, it must be noted that there is zero impact in
terms of pollution (gaseous and liquid waste), the movement
of animals is not obstructed, thanks to the lack of fencing,
and, according to scientific studies, the disturbance caused
to birds is negligible.In the Energy sector and with respect to
the activities of the Group which concern the construction of
wind farms located near or inside areas designated as Special
Protection Areas, a key prerequisite is the development of the
appropriate environmental impact assessment studies, which
will either confirm that there are no impacts or, in cases where
there are impacts, they will describe the measures which may
be adopted in order for these impacts to be avoided. In line with
the above, in the locations of the Group’s activities the impacts
are negligible in terms of pollution (gas or liquid waste), the
movement of animals is not obstructed, as there is no fencing
and the disturbance to the local population of birds is negligible
(where necessary, technical systems for the protection of birds
are installed). Regarding the rehabilitation of the environment,
our companies adhere to and promote systematically the
obligation to reforest areas destroyed by fire (areas under
reforestation), in accordance with the applicable laws and the
instructions of the corresponding Forest Departments and,
over the next two years, it is estimated that they will reforest
more than
350,000 m
2
of such areas in total.
7.2.5 Ecological restoration and protection of biodiversity
G4-EN11
G4-EN12
