Field of action Environment
We are striving for climate neutrality for our own operations, making wise use of resources and actively conserving nature and protecting species by making them integral parts of our projects. We are working to promote:
- Nature conservation
- Species protection
- Resource conservation and climate protection
Nature conservation
Grid expansion is indispensable if the energy transition is to be a success. However, it does mean we have to make interventions in nature. That is because power lines cross landscapes, forests and meadows, coasts and waterbodies – and impact the various ecosystems. We at Amprion see protecting these ecosystems as an important part of our remit.
Amprion’s overhead lines span countryside with a very diverse range of vegetation. For more than 20 years, we have been playing a pioneering role in the area of conservative route maintenance. This is founded on a holistic approach: we take environmental aspects into account not only when planning but also when constructing and operating our power lines and other installations. And our input does not simply end once we have fulfilled the legal requirements. At the core of our commitment is our concept for integrated vegetation management, which has grown over the years. Rare animal species benefit from this. As further evidence of the success of our measures, some of our route areas have been designated as parts of German or European protected areas.
Amprion relies on innovative power-transmission technologies and also takes their environmental compatibility into account. This also applies to underground cables, which, while they preserve the landscape, in some cases require extensive earth-moving measures. Offshore lines need to be built in order to connect offshore wind farms to the onshore transmission grid. Over and above the legal requirements set down at EU, state and federal level, we are taking measures to protect the habitats there. In the Wadden Sea National Park, for example, we follow the “zero discharge principle”. That is, we leave nothing behind that does not naturally occur there. As part of our marine conservation efforts, we show consideration for marine wildlife. When installing the converter platforms out at sea, we take special noise control measures to protect the very acute hearing of marine animals such as the common or harbour porpoise.
Species protection
By following a comprehensive integrated vegetation management programme, Amprion creates new habitats along its power line routes. At the same time, our extensive transmission grid helps to connect ecosystems with one another. This creates a network of biotopes that prevents the “islanding” of species and fosters their development. Species protection also means protecting animals while our overhead lines are in operation.
Since bird protection is a major concern for us, we, together with experts, have initiated our own bird protection programme. This gave rise to measures that are now an integral part of our overhead line management. Thanks to bird protection markings attached to the earth wires above the conductor cables, we can, for example, reduce the collision risk locally for some species by up to 90 per cent. We also equip suitable route sections with nesting aids. To ensure effective bird protection, we cooperate with environmental associations as important, expert partners. Together with other grid operators we support, for example, the “Bird hotline” portal operated by the German branch of BirdLife (NaBu) on behalf of the Renewables Grid Initiative. Amprion is also committed to insect protection and promotes biotopes for insects in its own grid area by planting flowering meadows. We have developed our own flowering-meadow concept and, among other things, turn the numerous and extensive areas of land on which our facilities stand over to this purpose.
Resource conservation and climate protection
In our core business, most resources are used to expand the grid infrastructure. Here, we focus from the very beginning on resource efficiency and make a point of deliberately using durable materials in the construction of our power lines. What is more, we are increasingly utilising recycled materials such as FSC/PEFC-certified paper in our administrative buildings. We are also currently working to identify potentials for further reducing the use of resources. We make sure that we handle reusable and recyclable materials with care, and where possible, avoid waste or promote its recycling. Our environmental management system is certified in accordance with international standard ISO 14001 and our energy management system to ISO 50001. We have laid down processes, measures and targets in our Energy Management Manual. Our pursuit of energy efficiency is also reflected in the design of our buildings. Our headquarters in Dortmund, for example, was planned in line with the gold standard of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB). Climate protection is part of Amprion’s social responsibility. We also face up to this responsibility in our own operations. For instance, we are constantly working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are also developing a concrete, measurable climate target. In order to identify potential savings, we measure our greenhouse gas emissions at regular intervals. We are currently analysing our CO2 emissions in order to be able to set quantitative reduction targets by 2022.
