Water consumption and water protection
Water is indispensable for the lives of people, animals and plants. The unequal distribution of this resource and high consumption by industrial and emerging countries have led to a worldwide water shortage over the past decades. Sustainable water management that is directed to preserving the natural water cycle is, consequently, an important requirement for protecting high-quality water reserves for future generations. When using the resource water, we attempt to protect the ecosystem as far as possible, prevent water and ground pollution as well as excessive use, and minimise the effects on the environment.
The availability of water in a region is generally dependent on the water consumption in relation to the available water resources. Our core markets – and the focal points of our business activities – are Lower Austria, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. With the help of the WRI (World Resources Institute) Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, we were able to determine that water stress in these markets is only found in certain sections of Bulgaria.
At EVN, we use the resource water for normal household purposes (e.g. in sanitary facilities) or as process water (e.g. in heating networks or for lubrication). We draw the required quantities from municipal drinking water supplies or from our own ground wells. The cooling water used in our plant operations comes from surface water. To minimise the effects on the environment, our plants meet all requirements set by the strict national and European laws, directives and official notifications. Various protective devices were also installed to prevent ground and water pollution.
At all plants which store substances hazardous to water are equipped with collection and retention equipment. The surfaces of compact areas like concrete or asphalt are, in many cases, treated with a universal absorbing material. As a first step in critical situations, our networks can also accumulate smaller volumes of leaking, potentially dangerous substances.
In agreement with the Austrian Environmental Liability Act (“Bundes-Umwelthaftungsgesetz”), we have established basic organisational measures (handling instructions), for example, to deal with the leakage of hazardous aqueous substances and the activation of the necessary reporting chains. The involved employees receive regular awareness and operational training on these measures.
We are well aware of the risk that climate change may lead to a reduction of water supplies in the future. This risk is analysed and assessed as part of the annual risk inventory.
Drinking water supplies are a further business area where water plays an elementary role for our company. EVN Wasser GmbH serves as the first contact point for sustainable drinking water supplies in Lower Austria. Compliance with the highest standards is one of its priority goals. A special focus is place on protecting the water quality, maintaining an equilibrium between water supplies and consumption, preventing pipeline losses, and returning purified wastewater to the water cycle. Click here for further information on drinking water supplies in Lower Austria.
Our German subsidiary, WTE Wassertechnik GmbH, is responsible for the international project business. Its services cover, depending on the scope of the project, the planning, construction, financing and operation of plants for drinking water supplies and wastewater disposal. The treatment and recycling of wastewater makes an important contribution to reducing freshwater consumption, for example in agricultural irrigation. A closed cycle can help to protect existing resources, for example through groundwater enrichment. Click here for further information.
Wastewater (treatment)
All our normal household wastewater is cleaned in municipal wastewater treatment plants before it reaches the surface water. The wastewater flows from our thermal generation plants are regularly audited to verify their quality and – after necessary treatment – are returned to the water cycle in accordance with the applicable environmental standards. If the type or volume of wastewater flows deviates from normal household benchmarks, we conclude a contract with the respective treatment plant operator according to the indirect discharger ordinance when a sewage connection is available. These contracts include detailed rules for the allowed wastewater volume, major substances and required wastewater tests. A review is required every two years, but we analyse the following annually: pH level, suspended solids, hydrocarbons, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen, phosphorous, various metals like mercury, copper or lead as well as adsorbable organically bound halogens (AOX). Selected values from this review are communicated to the responsible authority each year as part of legally required reporting. EVN has not been notified of any objections to date.
The direct discharge into surface water is regulated in Austria by the wastewater emission directive (“Abwasseremissionsverordnung”) and various water-related regulations which define the discharge temperature of cooling water through official notifications. Operating instructions have been issued for unforeseen incidents which specify the (immediate) steps to be taken and indicate the required reporting chain.
The annual publication of wastewater reports on the website of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility Innovation and Technology creates the necessary transparency for our waste utilisation plant in Dürnrohr. The sustainability report prepared by our subsidiary WTE Wassertechnik GmbH includes details on the wastewater treatment at individual international projects. As part of R&D projects, WTE also researches and develops processes for the reduction of nitrogen and nitrates.
Thermal sludge utilisation represents another new business field for our company. You can find additional information here.