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Environment > Environmental Management
Environmental Management
Adequate environmental management is essential to the sustainability of our operation and to our value creation model, since our businesses depend directly on natural resources.
When planning our projects, we develop studies to identify and assess environmental and social impacts. We work through the elaboration of participative socio-economic diagnoses, the implementation of communication and social interaction plans and environmental education programs, promoting community forums and articulations with public and private agents.
Among the activities of the communication and social interaction plans, we train field teams, provide direct and specific channels of communication with communities and their representatives and conduct opinion surveys with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of communication actions. The communication plan also helps identify vulnerable groups and helps train the community to express their concerns to the company. The manifestations collected and the responses provided are recorded and systematized in a database.
Planning actions for environmental education programs considers debate with local communities and their representatives to identify topics that will be addressed during the implementation of the program. Non-formal educational actions are prioritized, aimed at qualifying and organizing communities to propose and/or formulate and implement socio-environmental mitigation and/or compensation projects, as well as monitoring and evaluating their effectiveness.
The studies may also point out the need for changes in the project in order to avoid and to reduce its impacts. In cases where residual impacts remain, we seek to remedy them. For each impact identified in the environmental impact studies, mitigation and compensation actions are proposed, which can be developed before, during and after the implementation of the projects, as indicated by the basic environmental plan. The studies and the programs, developed within the environmental licensing process and submitted to evaluation of the entities responsible for environmental licensing, are presented to the population.
During operation, monitoring may indicate the need to review actions and investments in technology and operational processes. All actions are developed according to the current Brazilian legislation and analyzed and monitored by the entities involved in the environmental licensing process.
Environmental Management System
Our environmental management system is based on three core elements: Eletrobras Companies Environmental Policy, Eletrobras Companies Environment Committee and the System of Indicators for Corporate Sustainability Management (IGS System) – Environmental Dimension. A fourth element is being developed to monitor, in an integrated manner, the environmental licenses and their requirements of our companies' generation ventures.
In addition to the IGS System, Eletrobras Companies have ISO 14.001 certifications in electricity generation at Tucuruí HPP (8,370 MW), Coaracy Nunes HPP (78 MW), Samuel HPP (216 MW), Curua-Una HPP (12,5 MW) UHE
Balbina (275 MW). of Eletrobras Eletronorte. At Eletrobras Furnas thermoelectric plants (UTE Santa Cruz e UTE Campos), located in the State of Rio de Janeiro, external audits are performed to comply with State Law No. 1898/91. These documents are available on the website in portuguese.
The Environmental Policy of Eletrobras Companies mention that we shall comply with relevant legal and regulatory frameworks, as well as with the acts of which Brazil and the companies are signatories and a that we shall maintain a systematic and continuous process to improve management practices.
The environmental penalties received from Brazilian companies can be discussed on administrative or judicial level. When the company files an administrative appeal for fine assessment, the enforceability of the penalty is suspended until the environmental agency issues its final decision.
In 2019, Eletrobras Companies received 15 environmental fines, having paid one fine, with a value of less than US$ 10,000. The others are under appeal.
In 2020, Eletrobras Companies received 12 environmental fines, having paid approximately R$31,000.00 (less than US$10.000,00) for 4 of these fines. The others are under appeal.
In 2021, the Eletrobras Companies (CGT Eletrosul, Chesf, Eletronorte and Furnas) received fifteen notices of environmental infraction, including warnings and fines. One fine was paid, in the amount of approximately R$1,000.00. The other fines are under appeal.
In 2022, the Eletrobras Companies (CGT Eletrosul, Chesf, Eletronorte and Furnas) received thirteen notices of environmental infraction, including warnings and fines. One fine was paid, in the amount of approximately R$50,000.00 (less than US$10.000,00). The other fines are under appeal.
In 2023, the Eletrobras Companies (CGT Eletrosul, Chesf, Eletronorte and Furnas) received thirteen notices of environmental infraction, all including fines. Four fines were paid, in the amount of R$58.016,17. The other fines are in the initial phase or under appeal.
History of Eletrobras Environmental Management
Eletrobras environmental area was created at the end of the 1980s, when the Brazilian electric sector engaged in contributing to the treatment of the socio-environmental dimension in the planning, implementation and operation of its ventures.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Eletrobras produced guidelines in accordance with the political, legal and institutional context of the country, advancing with respect to concepts, knowledge of nature and dimension of the issues to be addressed, the structuring of these activities in companies, the definition of support mechanisms for socio-environmental management within the sector and interaction with other public and private entities and with society.
For further information, check the Technical Documents Archive of our environment area.
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