Electrabel Activities Report 2009

Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009

VISIBLE RESULTS

Drive Guaranteeing our performance over the long term for all our stakeholders, continually seeking effi ciency and innovation on behalf of our clients and in the public service.

CommitmentAdvancing the Group’s development with respect for the planet while providing essential services for people.

Daring Living in the present with optimism and building for the future with creativity.

Cohesion Mobilising all our strengths with a shared spirit of teamwork to make energy and the environment sustainable sources of progress and development.

OUR VALUES

Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009 | 1

Electrabel,

Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009

This report places Electrabel within the context of GDF SUEZ Group and

describes the company’s activities and most important key fi gures in Belgium.

The report also demonstrates how Electrabel is meeting the commitments

that it entered into in its sustainable development plan Together for less

CO2. The contents of the report have been brought into line with the data

contained in the 2008 Activities report (September 2009) and the Green

book Together for less CO2 (October 2008). They are also based on the GRI-

guidelines (see page 53).

The report covers the period 1 January 2009 - 31 December 2009. In addi-

tion, some important developments that were reported on in early 2010 are

mentioned. All fi gures relate to the year 2009, unless otherwise stated.

The intention is to generate this report on an annual basis.

CONTENTMessage from the General Manager ......................................................2

01 RELYING ON A STRONG BASIS .............................................................5

02 TRUST IN RELIABLE EQUIPMENT .................................................... 15

03 STRENGTHENING THE BOND WITH THE CUSTOMER .... 29

04 PURSUING AN EXEMPLARY FUNCTION ..................................... 39

05 EVALUATING THE RESULTS ................................................................... 51

Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 66

Information ................................................................................................................... 67

2 | Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009

Sophie Dutordoir, what is the objective

of this report?

The starting-point is clear: many things are said

about Electrabel; however, these are often divorced

from reality and from where we are today. To a cer-

tain extent, this is understandable because over a

short period – in fact, one of less than ten years

– Electrabel has changed considerably. As a result

of European directives and their transformation

into Belgian legislation, our horizon has completely

changed. From a company broadly integrating the

entire electricity and gas value chain and strongly

dominant in Belgium, Electrabel has become an in-

ternational player in a generation and sales market

that is rife with competition. You can judge for your-

selves: we have withdrawn entirely from electricity

and gas transmission in Belgium. In the country’s

three regions, we have brought back our position

within the distribution system to one of a minority

shareholder participation, while ceding operational

management. In terms of generation, in Belgium

we have yielded signifi cant generating capacities

to SPE and E.ON – with the latter in exchange for

capacities in Germany. In doing so, we have cut our

market share from 83% to a little more than 60%,

whilst bolstering our presence on the German mar-

ket since the real physical market comprises the

Benelux, France and Germany, a region that is fi rm-

ly interconnected and where prices broadly con-

verge. With a share of 8% in generating capacity,

the GDF SUEZ position on this market is sizeable

compared with those of EDF, E.ON and RWE, but it

is far from dominant.

Lastly, in sales – a completely liberalised activity –

we currently hold a market share in Belgium of less

than 70%.

What are your ambitions now in Belgium?

This annual report focuses on Belgium, our histori-

cal territory, and where we have three ambitions.

First of all, as is the case for all commercial compa-

nies, we want our customers to be satisfi ed. Our

offer combines attractive prices and a service qual-

ity that is well above the average. Quality service

for an energy company starts with accessibility. Our

customers can contact us personally at any time,

24 hours a day, 7 days a week, via our shops, our

Post Offi ce counters, our thousands of partners-

installers, our Internet site or our contact centre,

which can boast an accessibility rate of 99%.

However, it is not enough to be accessible! We

provide, ideally during the fi rst contact, an effi cient

response to all customers who have encountered

a problem. In addition, we offer modern services

that simplify life, such as an online procedure that

removes the need for superfl uous administrative

work for customers who are moving house; a text

messaging service that tells customers who pay by

banker’s draft the debit balance on their account;

the possibility of chatting with our experts about

any matter relating to billing, energy savings, etc.

Thanks to these measures, since the opening-up

of the market, our customer satisfaction and loy-

alty indicators have increased signifi cantly. This is

also refl ected in the level of complaints we receive,

which is considerably lower than our competitors’.

For us and our employees, this is great encourage-

ment to continue along this path, because, when

talking about service quality, continuous improve-

ment is a must.

You mentioned three ambitions.

What is the second one?

We are an energy company that takes its respon-

sibilities seriously in regard to respecting sustain-

“ An energy provider that’s committed, responsible and involved.”

The view of Sophie Dutordoir, General Manager Electrabel


able development. We make sure that energy is

available at competitive prices in environmentally-

friendly ways.

We called our global-warming reduction programme

Together for less CO2. Two years after its launch,

the results are good. Our CO2 emissions per kWh

generated have been reduced by around 40% in re-

lation to 1990 levels and one-third of this improve-

ment has been achieved in the past two years. Our

emissions of SO2, NOx and particulates have de-

creased by about 90% since 1990. In the course

of just a year, we convinced more than 350 000 of

our residential and professional customers to sign

up for our green offer supplying 100% renewable

electricity, generated from facilities we operate in

Belgium.

When dealing with energy, protecting the environ-

ment is not the only challenge. Electricity and natu-

ral gas prices also receive a lot of attention because

of their impact on our companies’ competitiveness

and on household purchasing power.

In the wake of hikes in fuel prices on world markets,

the price of electricity underwent sharp increases

in 2008. Today, it has returned to the level of early

2007. With few exceptions, wholesale prices con-

verge on the market that comprises the Benelux,

France and Germany.

Belgian electricity prices for residential customers

compare favourably with the average of those in

Belgium’s four neighbouring countries – Germany,

France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

There are, nonetheless, some inconsistencies

among them: these last few months, the average

customer in Belgium has been paying a great deal

less for his electricity than his German or Dutch

counterparts, but more than he would pay in France

or the United Kingdom. Since the opening-up of the

markets, Belgian natural gas prices have generally

been lower than that same average and are cur-

rently the lowest on the market, with the exception

of the United Kingdom.

Besides climate challenge and competitive

prices, there is also the issue of supply

security. How does Electrabel manage

these three challenges?

You are right to raise this. Electrabel is also com-

mitted to guaranteeing, at all times, security of

supply to all its customers. To manage these three

challenges, we fi rst rely on an energy mix, which

includes nuclear, gas, coal and renewable sources,

of which the leading source in Belgium is biomass.

We have balanced facilities that also perform well.

In 2009, our power stations recorded an availability

rate of 87%, a level of performance resulting from

the expertise and motivation of our teams, from the

great attention we pay to safety, and to the quality

of our equipment.

Our second ambition is therefore to consolidate our

position as a responsible energy provider.

You talked about three ambitions.

What is the last one?

As a big industrial group that has been operating for

a long time in Belgium, GDF SUEZ and Electrabel

have also to assure a social role. In the future, we

want to continue to be a company committed to

local communities. That requires us to make a con-

tribution to the country’s economic life, which we

have done by investing 500 million euros a year, as

well as by creating jobs. Today, Electrabel has 7 500

employees in Belgium and GDF SUEZ has 20 000.

It is worthwhile recalling that, in 2009, the elec-

tricity and gas sector was one of the few sectors

where the employment rate increased by almost

5% compared to 2008, despite the strained eco-

nomic circumstances.

Above and beyond the economic issues, we also

want to contribute to fulfi lling society’s other ex-

pectations. By mobilising every year more than

2.5 million euros for patronage actions, GDF SUEZ

and Electrabel support a range of initiatives in cul-

ture, sport, job market access and the environment

in Belgium. By making our skills available to others,

we help people’s projects come true. For example,

in the Antarctic, with Laborelec, our technical and

scientifi c competence centre, we helped design

and build a ‘zero-emission’ polar station under ex-

treme weather conditions. Lastly, we provide as-

sistance and lend our image to citizens’ actions, to

the Red Cross in support of blood donations and,

more recently, to the Belgian Road Safety Institute

to promote road safety.

This is our aim – to be an energy supplier commit-

ted to its customers, a responsible energy com-

pany, and a business involved in the community all

at once.


RELYING ON A STRONG BASIS

• Part of GDF SUEZ• Largest electricity producer

and supplier in Belgium

• Ten commitments for

less CO2


01

Part of a world leader in energy

Electrabel forms part of GDF SUEZ, one of the

leading energy providers in the world, active across

the entire energy value chain, in electricity and natu-

ral gas, upstream to downstream.

The GDF SUEZ Group is organised around six busi-

ness lines: fi ve business lines in energy and one

in environment. The GDF SUEZ Energy Europe

& International business line comprises fi ve geo-

graphically demarcated business areas. The GDF

SUEZ Energy Benelux & Germany business area

is responsible for the production of electricity and

the sale of electricity, natural gas and energy serv-

ices in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and

Germany. It is also responsible for the optimisation

of the company’s positions in this region (portfolio

management). The operational duties of the busi-

ness area are carried out by and under the brand

name Electrabel, GDF SUEZ Group in the Benelux

(in Luxembourg, electricity production is carried out

under the brand name Twinerg, GDF SUEZ Group).

In Germany, GDF SUEZ Energy Deutschland carries

out its activities under the brand name GDF SUEZ.

Major industrial customers, active in a number of

countries, are serviced under the GDF SUEZ Global

Energy brand name.

The activities of the GDF SUEZ Energy Benelux &

Germany business area have been carried out un-

der leadership of Sophie Dutordoir, Chief Executive

Offi cer since 19 July 2009. Key fi gures for the busi-

ness area are summarised on page 56.

01.RELYING ON A STRONG BASIS

GDF SUEZ: organisation

Energy France

Energy Benelux & Germany

Energy Europe & International

Energy Europe

Global Gas & LNG

Energy Latin America

Infrastructures

Energy North America

Energy Services

Energy Middle East, Asia and Africa

SUEZEnvironnement

GDF SUEZ

GDF SUEZ: key fi gures (year 2009)

• 200 650 employees throughout

the world, incl. 134 750 in energy

and energy services and 65 900

in environment

• 72.7 GW of installed power-

production capacity

• € 79.9 billion revenues

• 1 200 researchers and experts at

9 research & development centres


Market leader in the Benelux

Electrabel sells electricity, natural gas, energy prod-

ucts and services to 6 million residential, profes-

sional and industrial customers and public institu-

tions in the Benelux. In 2009, sales volumes were

94 129 GWh electricity and 72 549 GWh natural

gas.

In this market, the company also produces electric-

ity and heat with diversifi ed generating facilities

of 16 265 MW. Their greenhouse gas emissions

are among the lowest in Europe. Electrabel’s park

consists of nuclear power stations, power stations

working on fossil fuels (especially natural gas and

coal), installations using renewable energy sources

and pumped storage power stations. Sizeable new

construction projects in Belgium (conventional

power station Knippegroen, 305 MW) and in the

Netherlands (CCGT power stations Flevo, 870 MW;

high yield coal power station in Rotterdam, 800 MW)

ensure that the company has at its disposal enough

production capacity in the Benelux and maintains a

balance between its sales and production portfolio.

GDF SUEZ portfolio and trading operations support

and optimise the Electrabel sales and production

activities. The Group is active on all trading markets

in Europe where it buys and sells electricity, fuel,

CO2 credits… Portfolio Management guarantees

the power stations’ fuel supply and ensures an

optimal use of production means. These activities

allow Electrabel to provide to its customers, who

want to actively manage and optimise their energy

portfolio, a complete and varied offer on risk man-

agement level, the supply of energy products, cus-

tomised complex solutions, green products, emis-

sion rights...

Electrabel employs 8 732 employees in the Benelux-

region. The company recruits new employees on

a regular basis, and they are given ample oppor-

tunities to build a challenging and enriching career

within the international GDF SUEZ Group.

Electrabel in Benelux: key fi gures (year 2009)

• Largest electricity producer in Belgium

• Largest electricity supplier in Belgium

• Second largest natural gas supplier in

Belgium

• Largest producer and supplier of green

electricity in Belgium

• Largest electricity producer in

the Netherlands

• Largest electricity producer in

the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

• 8 732 employees

• 3.9 million electricity customers*

• 2.15 million natural gas customers*

• 94.1 TWh of electricity sales**

• 72.5 TWh of natural gas sales**

• 16.3 GW of generating capacity

* supply points** sales inside the area

A summary of these key fi gures can be found per country on page 56.



01 RELYING ON A STRONG BASIS

New positions in Belgium

Electrabel is the largest seller of electricity, the

second largest supplier of natural gas and the

largest producer of electricity in Belgium. It can call

on more than a century’s experience.

Since 2001, the gradual opening up of the energy

markets in Belgium, in which the company actively

participated, triggered a process that, bit by bit,

has whittled down its historical lead in this market.

Also in 2009, steps were taken to promote more

competition and the more effi cient operation of the

energy market in Belgium.

• The German energy company E.ON acquired

941 MW of Electrabel’s production means (the

Langerlo conventional power station and the

Vilvoorde CCGT power station), as well as

770 MW nuclear capacity in the form of drawing

rights from the Doel and Tihange nuclear power

stations (of which 270 MW is supplied in the

Netherlands). In exchange, the GDF SUEZ Group

acquired approximately 1 700 MW production ca-

pacity in Germany (nuclear drawing rights, coal

and natural gas power stations, renewable en-

ergy and pumped storage power stations).

• SPE, the second largest electricity producer in

Belgium, which already had a capacity share of

161.5 MW in the Doel and Tihange nuclear pow-

er stations, acquired additional nuclear capacity

of 250 MW in these units. Electrabel also sup-

plies SPE with another capacity of 100 MW on

the Belgian network in exchange for the same

volume on the French network originating from

SPE’s participation in the Chooz nuclear power

station.

• Electrabel’s activities concerning electricity and

natural gas distribution networks in Wallonia

were taken over by the Opérateur des Réseaux

Gaz & Électricité (ORES). ORES operates on be-

half of the distribution system operators in which

Electrabel has a minority share (maximum 30%),

which it is gradually decreasing. In Flanders (Ean-

dis) and in Brussels (Brussels Network Opera-

tions), a similar operation took place in 2006.

The decision by the Council of Ministers to extend

the operations period of the nuclear power stations

Doel 1, Doel 2 and Tihange 1 and the agreements

reached by GDF SUEZ with the Belgian State in this

context – amongst other things, investing in renew-

able energy via Electrabel – will also have a marked

impact on the company’s activities in the coming

years.

Electrabel also commenced procedures to sell its

shares in the natural gas transmission company

Fluxys as well as the electricity transmission com-

pany Elia. Negotiations with candidate buyers, in

early 2010, led to an agreement on the sale of its

full participation in Fluxys to the municipal holding,

Publigas, and of 12.5% of its shares in Elia to the

municipal holding, Publi-T. At the end of May 2010,

the Group pulled out of the companies that manage

Belgium’s transport networks for good.

Share in generating capacity in Belgium

in % – source: estimation Electrabel

2008 2010

83

17

64

36

Others Electrabel


RELYING ON A STRONG BASIS 01

(1) The transmission of natural gas is undertaken by the company Fluxys in which Electrabel has a 38.5% share via SUEZ-TRACTEBEL(3)

(2) The previous intermunicipal companies were appointed as distribution system operators(3) At the beginning of 2010, Electrabel reached an agreement on the sale of its participations (refer to the text on pg. 8)(4) Voting rights

Organisation of the net activities in Belgium (at end 2009)

Activity Body in charge OperatorShares that Electrabel has in the capital

Electricity transmission(1) Elia Elia 24.35% in Elia(3)

Electricity and natural gas distribution in Flanders

Distribution system operators(2) Eandis 30% in the mixed DSOs

Electricity and natural gas distribution in Brussels

Sibelga BNO 30% in Sibelga

Electricity and natural gas distribution in Wallonia

Distribution system operators(2) ORES 30% in the mixed DSOs(4)

Electrabel in Belgium: key fi gures (year 2009)

Sales

Electricity sales 68.9 TWh

Natural gas sales 55.8 TWh

Electricity customers* 3.64 million

Natural gas customers* 1.92 million

Generation

Generating capacity 11.8 GW

Electricity generation 66 TWh

Heat generation 5.3 TWh

Renewable energy

Generating capacity 419 MW

Share in total generating capacity 3.55%

Share in total electricity generation 2.77%

Staff

Employees 7 447

Environment

Share of generating capacity CO2 emission-free 52.7%

Share of electricity generation CO2 emission-free 61.9%

Emission of CO2 202 g/kWh

Emission of SO2 55 mg/kWh

Emission of NOx 138 mg/kWh

Management

Share of electricity generation certifi ed ISO 14001 93%

* supply points

10 | Activities and Sustainable Development Report 200910 | Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009

Bruno Defrasnes, Sustainable

Development Manager Electrabel

What is Electrabel’s vision and strategy

in relation to the challenges posed by

sustainable development?

Energy has the special characteristic of being es-

sential to life and to any economic development.

Conducting a sustainable energy policy has always

been at the centre of Electrabel’s strategy. This is

easier said than done: making energy accessible

to all, at all times and everywhere, at a reasonable

price and without damaging our planet or its inhab-

itants. Climate change has become a major concern

for our stakeholders, and energy is at the centre

of the debate since electricity generation, domestic

heating and the energy consumption of our enter-

prises each represent 20% of CO2 emissions.

The environment has always occupied an impor-

tant place in our strategic thinking, and Electrabel’s

endeavour to reduce its CO2 emissions is certainly

nothing new. As long ago as 1995, a good two

years before the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol,

we launched a policy aimed at controlling our emis-

sions, promoting rational use of energy and setting

our priorities for electricity generation. The strategy

was already crystal clear: to generate electricity

with less primary energy and fewer CO2 emissions

in order to reconcile the economic and environmen-

tal aspects.

What is your initial assessment of the

strategy and what are the objectives for

the future?

Our results are also crystal clear: since 1990,

Electrabel has improved the energy effi ciency of

its generation facilities by 20% and has reduced its

CO2 emissions by 40%, which places us among the

best electricity suppliers in Europe in terms of CO2

emissions per kWh generated.

However, Electrabel considers that its past efforts

do not exempt it from future actions. For this rea-

son, it has identifi ed the continuing improvement

of its performance in Belgium in terms of CO2 emis-

sions as the number one priority of its sustainable

development strategy. So, at the end of 2008,

we published our sustainable development plan

Together for less CO2.

Tackling climate change effectively will necessarily

require fundamental changes in the way in which

energy is generated, transported and consumed.

This ‘energy revolution’ presents as many techno-

logical, industrial and political challenges as it does

new behaviours and energy systems to be rein-

vented. Succeeding in this energy transition will re-

quire the responsible use of all of the technological

solutions available and those to come, as well as

the mobilisation of all of the economic players in

the energy sector, those who generate it and those

who consume it, among those who defi ne the rules

of the game, those who apply them and those to

whom they are applied.

It is this theme of ‘acting together’ which is at the

centre of Electrabel’s climate plan Together for less

CO2, which is structured around 10 specifi c com-

mitments.

Through this plan, Electrabel intends to:

• continue its efforts in order to reduce CO2 emis-

sions from its generation facilities;

Strongly committed to sustainable development


Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009 | 11Activities and Sustainable Development Report 2009 | 11


• make available to its customers, and to as many

people as possible, the expertise acquired in

recent decades to improve the energy and envi-

ronmental effi ciency of its generation facilities to

enable them to further reduce their CO2 footprint

while decreasing their energy expenditure;

• stimulate the development of technologies, sys-

tems and market mechanisms toward an effi -

cient, low-carbon energy future;

• intensify the dialogue with citizens, communities,

enterprises and the authorities;

• last, we want to apply to ourselves what we

recommend to others. This requires translating

our commitments into not just the mentalities

but also, and above all, the daily lives of all of our

co-workers.

Despite the scale of the task and the obstacles to

be overcome (resistance to change, credibility, legal

and regulatory aspects…), the initial results of our

plan are very encouraging. At the end of 2009, two

years after the launch of our plan, the CO2 emis-

sions from our generation facilities had been re-

duced by over 10%, over 350 000 of our customers

had opted for our green electricity and the carbon

balance of our daily activities showed a score of mi-

nus 12%.

But the end of the road will be neither in 2010 nor

in 2015. Our efforts must continue and expand to

other fi elds, in particular through research and inno-

vation in tomorrow’s clean energies and techno-

logies, which alone can guarantee the continuity of

our activities.

Why did you publish this fi rst sustainable

development report?

This report specifi cally meets one of the ten com-

mitments that we set for ourselves, namely main-

taining an active dialogue with our stakeholders

and keeping them informed of the results of our

sustainable development programme in all trans-

parency. It reviews the achievements and the key

performance indicators relating to the implementa-

tion of our plan.

To the best of our ability, we try to comply with the

recommendations of the Global Reporting Initiative

(GRI), working guidelines defi ned by the stakehol-

ders for the publication of sustainable develop -

ment data. We have also undertaken to submit this

report for external certifi cation as of the 2010 fi nan-

cial year. We are thus in line with the GDF SUEZ

approach.

Position of the Sustainable

Development department in the

organisation

The Sustainable Development department

was established in 2007. It forms part of the

Strategy, Regulatory Affairs and Sustainable

Development Directorate, one of the support serv-

ices within the organisation of the GDF SUEZ

Energy Benelux & Germany business area,

whose director is a member of the Executive

Committee of the business area. The depart-

ment, in close cooperation with the operational

entities and the other supporting services of the

business area, as well as with local persons in

charge, is responsible for developing a sustain-

able development refl ex among the business

area’s teams, as well as implementing the rel-

evant strategy and initiatives decided upon by

the Executive Committee. The department −

also responsible for ensuring conformity with

GDF SUEZ Group strategy − had fi ve full-time

employees at the end of 2009.


One plan – Ten commitments

Have at its disposal

renewable energy-based

generating facilities to cover

total consumption needs

of one million households

by 2015.

Invest 500 million euros by

2015 so as to continue to

improve the energy effi ciency

of its conventional power

plants in Belgium, and thus

improve its CO2 footprint.

Within the scope of its Together for less CO2 plan, Electrabel agrees to:

Continue to limit the

environmental footprint of

its production activities.


3.

Reduce by 21% the CO2

emissions of the daily

activities of its employees

in Belgium by 2011.

9.

Encourage research and

development of innovative

technology that contributes

to fi ghting global warming.

10.

Maintain a transparent

dialogue with stakeholders.

8.

HaHaveve a att ititss didispspososalal

rerenenewawablblee enenerergygy-b-basaseded

generating facilities to cover

total consumption needs

of one million households

bby 2015.

InInvevestst 5 50000 m milillilionon e eururosos b byy

20201515 s soo asas t too cocontntininue t to

improve the energy effi ciency

of its conventional power

plants in Belgium, and thus

improve its CO2 footprint.

Electrabel will have reduced its CO2 emissions by 1.7 million tonnes

by 2015 (cumulated reductions during 2008-2014, at a constant

production rate – reference year: 2007).

1. 2.

Sustainable generation

Our attitude



Encourage transport

powered by natural gas or

electricity.

7.

“Sustainable

development is

development that

meets the needs of

the present without

compromising the

ability of future

generations to meet

their own needs.”

This internationally-recognised defi nition comes from the report “Our Common Future”, also known as the “Brundtland Report” (1987).

Offer its customers 100%

certifi ed green energy, pro-

duced by renewable energy-

based generating facilities:

wind farms, hydroelectric

plants, photovoltaic panels

and biomass installations.

6.

Help its customers

to reduce their energy

consumption.

4.

Work together with its

customers to ensure they

produce by themselves more

environmentally friendly

energy while reducing their

energy expenditure.

5.

Working together


TRUST IN RELIABLE EQUIPMENT


02

• 11 800 MW of generating

capacity

• 62% of generation CO2-free

• Green energy for

523 000 households

• 13% less CO2 in two years


Flexible generating facilities of 11 800 MW

Electrabel had production capacity of 11 821 MW in

Belgium at the end of 2009 (share of the company).

Because of the diversifi cation of technology and

fuels − refl ecting GDF SUEZ Group strategy − the

generating facilities offer the necessary fl exibility

to safeguard customer supply, at economically ac-

ceptable and stable conditions while respecting the

environment, in particular in the context of climate

change.

In 2009, the power stations produced 66 000 GWh

electricity (+1.5% compared to 2008) and 5 300

GWh heat (-15% compared to 2008) (share of the

company). In total (at 100%), they consumed 234

million GJ natural gas (67%), coal (21%), biomass

(8%), oil and blast furnace gas.

725 MW new production capacity

Electrabel manages its generating facilities dynami-

cally. It ensures ongoing upgrades with the most

advanced technologies that are more energy ef-

fi cient and less polluting. In 2009, the production

park was expanded with (refer to pg. 56):

• the Knippegroen power station at Sidmar

(305 MW);

• the Lanxess Rubber combined heat and power

unit (58 MW);

• extra nuclear power of approximately 2 x 40 MW

by the replacement of the turbine rotors in the

Tihange 3 and Doel 4 nuclear power stations;

• 8 MW wind turbine farms and 3 MW of solar

energy.

Electrabel is also busy constructing 86 MW

(40.5 MW additional nuclear power with the re-

placement of the steam generators in the Doel 1

nuclear power station; the CHP unit Evonik

Degussa in which it has a share of 21 MW; 24 MW

renewable energy) and it has started a project for

a 180 MW biomass power station in Rodenhuize

(refer to pg. 20 for more information on the produc-

tion park with renewable energy sources).

In addition, because of the exchange of production

capacity with E.ON (refer to pg. 8), the Electrabel

production park lost the Langerlo (602 MW) and

Vilvoorde (385 MW) power stations in November.

And, at the end of 2009, the Amercoeur conven-

tional power station (127 MW) and a CHP unit in

Langerbrugge (22 MW) were decommissioned.

62% of production is CO2 emission-free

At the end of 2009, 52.7% of the generating facili-

ties’ capacity consisted of CO2-free power stations

(nuclear power stations, pumped storage power

stations, renewable energy) and 22.2% of CO2-

poor power stations (natural gas-fi red CCGT units

and CHP). 61.9% of the electricity production

took place without CO2 emissions. The quantity of

carbon dioxide emitted by the park per produced

kilowatt-hour is amongst the lowest in Europe (refer

to pg. 24).

Generating capacity of Electrabel in Belgium

in GW

The signifi cant drop in 2009 is due to the relinquishing of capacity to SPE and E.ON (refer to pg. 8)

2006 2007 2008 2009

13.1 12.9 13.311.8

02.TRUST IN RELIABLE EQUIPMENT


Zandvliet Power

Herdersbrug

Rodenhuize

Drogenbos

Doel

Kallo

Ruien

Saint-Ghislain Amercoeur

Plate Taille

Tihange

Awirs

Coo

MolKnippegroen

Generating facilities of Electrabel in Belgium – at end 2009

Share (%) of power stations in

Electrabel’s generating capacity in

Belgium at end 2009

Share (%) of fuels in Electrabel’s

generating capacity in Belgium

at end 2009

Share (%) of power stations in Electrabel’s net

electricity generation in Belgium in 2009

Share (%) of fuels in Electrabel’s net electricity

generation in Belgium in 2009

CCGT Combined heat and power Conventional power station Nuclear power station Pumped storage power station

Renewable energy: refer to pg. 21

6.2%

24.2%

3.3%1.1%

11.1% 38.1%

16.0%

7.4%

3.6%

7.1%

11.1%38.1%

32.7%

57%

13.8%

18.7%

7.2%

0.8%

0.4%2.1%

6.7%

2.8%

2.3%

2.1%

57%

29.1%

Nuclear power station CCGT Conventional power

station Combined heat and power Energy recovery,

gas turbine, turbojet Hydroelectric power

station, wind farm, photovoltaic panel

Pumped storage power station

Nuclear Natural gas Coal Biomass, hydroelectric,

wind, photovoltaic Oil, waste,

blast furnace gas Pumped storage


02 TRUST IN RELIABLE EQUIPMENT

An important year for the nuclear power stations

Electrabel operates seven nuclear reactors in Belgium

− four in the Doel nuclear power station and three in

the Tihange nuclear power station – one of the cor-

nerstones of its varied energy mix and which make

an important contribution to limiting CO2 emissions.

High availability of 88%

The nuclear power stations represented 38.1% of

the production capacity and 57% of the company’s

production in Belgium in 2009 (refer to pg. 17). The

nuclear production park’s availability amounted to

87.6% as opposed to 84.8% in 2008. In 2009, the

nuclear units’ performance was further enhanced by

the replacement of the steam generators in Doel 1

and the turbine rotors in Doel 4 and Tihange 3.

Thanks to these improvements which entailed an

investment of 180 million euros, the power of each

unit increased by approximately 40 MW.

Operations period extension of 10 years

2009 was an important year for the nuclear power

stations, following the Council of Ministers’ decision

to extend the operations period of the Doel 1 and 2

and Tihange 1 units by ten years (refer to pg. 8) −

these three units supplied 32.5% of the total nucle-

ar production in Belgium in 2009. Electrabel started

a Long Term Operation programme to ensure their

performance in the long run.

The GEMIX group − a group of local and foreign

specialists, commissioned by the government, who

studied the ideal energy mix for Belgium − further-

more confi rmed, in its fi nal report, that a departure

from nuclear energy would severely affect the

country’s energy supply.

Nuclear safety priority accredited

externally

2009, as well as early 2010, saw several external

audits in the Doel and Tihange nuclear power sta-

tions, where the safety measures were compared

with the best practices implemented world-wide.

Commissioned by the Belgian government, special-

ists from the International Atomic Energy Agency

carried out OSART-audits in Doel and Tihange,

while experts from the World Association of Nu-

clear Operators carried out two voluntary WANO

Peer Reviews. The audits confi rmed that Electrabel

prioritises safety and that it is constantly improving

the optimal safety and reliability of its installations.

In Doel, for example, besides several recommenda-

tions and suggestions for improvement, the OSART-

team noted fourteen best practices that constitute

world-wide examples. The company’s continuous

training and education of its own staff, as well as

that of external companies may also be seen in this

context. In 2009, the number of training hours in

nuclear power stations was 300 000 (2/3 own staff;

1/3 contractors).

In 2009, Electrabel organised three emergency ac-

tion plan exercises in its nuclear power stations to

verify their organisational effi ciency in the event of

a crisis. In the ambit of the nuclear and radiological

emergency plan for the Belgian territory, and initiat-

ed by the Internal Affairs Crisis Centre, a large-scale

crisis exercise spanning two days was organised

in the Doel nuclear power station, where a nuclear

accident was simulated. The Electrabel crisis team

participated actively in the exercise, in cooperation

with the relevant federal, provincial and local gov-

ernments.

Meanwhile, the company has started work on a

new Global Nuclear Safety Plan for the period 2011-

2015. The aim of the plan is to defi ne the company’s

main lines of work in the fi elds of nuclear safety.

It takes feedback from OSART reviews and WANO

inspection assignments into account.

External audits carried out in the nuclear power

stations

OSART WANO

Tihange 1 January 2009*

Tihange 1, 2 and 3 October 2009

Doel 1 and 2 March 2010

Doel 1, 2, 3 and 4 February 2009

*follow-up audit

Nuclear power stations ready for the future


TRUST IN RELIABLE EQUIPMENT 02

Jean Van Vyve, Nuclear Generation

Manager Electrabel

How do you see the future of nuclear

power in Belgium?

Positively! I assume the Belgian State will respect

its decision to extend the operations period of

Doel 1 & 2 and Tihange 1 by 10 years as well as

the associated agreement, and will refl ect them

in relevant legislation. A decision about the other

nuclear power stations will have to be made within

six or seven years. Naturally, I hope to see their

operations period extended too. Why not? I fi rmly

believe that Belgium’s best option for electricity

production is to use diversifi ed generating facilities,

of which nuclear power is one part.

Nuclear power provides security of supply, does not

produce CO2, is safe and is relatively inexpensive.

I hope that public opinion and the politicians see

that a good balance is needed between multiple

sources of energy.

Are the power stations preparing for a

longer operations period?

We’ve launched a project called Long Term Opera-

tion. We’re working on ‘ageing management’ and

the ‘analysis of design upgrades’. In the future,

many components will be replaced in order to

counter the ageing process and further boost the

level of nuclear safety. We have to submit our tech-

nical report to the authorities by the end of 2011.

We have bolstered the relevant teams for nuclear

support services, Tractebel Engineering and on-site

Engineering Support.

Moreover, Electrabel has been investing continu-

ously for years in an effort to boost the perfor-

mance of nuclear power stations and improve their

already highly level of availability. We’re aiming to

beat 91%. In fact, we recently replaced the turbine

rotors in some units and the steam generators at

Doel 1.

Where do things stand with recruiting

nuclear personnel?

Today, our nuclear power stations have 1 700 col-

laborators. In recent years personnel numbers have

risen sharply. We’ve hired around a hundred senior

staff. We now have enough new, motivated staff

who can roll up their sleeves and get to work on

projects such as Long Term Operation. Among op-

erational staff, too, the big wave of departures – and

subsequent recruitment – is over. We are gradually

moving into a stabilisation phase. The most impor-

tant thing now is properly organising the transfer of

knowledge. It is critically important to ensure that

knowledge acquired in the past by older members

of staff is not lost!

Are there specifi c safety targets?

Nuclear safety is, and remains, a priority and an on-

going focal point at our nuclear power stations. We

have launched improvement schemes to continue

optimising operations and to strive for compliance

with international standards and best practices in

all areas. This has been recognised by external ex-

perts from the IAEA. Tihange earned great marks

during the OSART follow-up audit in early 2009. The

site scored high, comparable with the best in the

world. In early 2010, Doel followed suit. Once again,

the results of the OSART audit were positive, and a

great many good practices were highlighted.

The new fi ve-year nuclear safety plan for 2011-2015

we are currently developing is also an important

tool. But we are not neglecting industrial safety, for

our own personnel as well as contractors. Aware-

ness-raising actions and a lot of communication

should encourage everyone to work more safely

and pay more attention, day in and day out – even

to the small things.


Controlling radioactive waste and

discharges

Operating nuclear power stations generates radio-

active waste and involves radioactive discharges

into the environment. It is our responsibility to con-

tinuously reduce their volume. In 2009, the amount

of conditioned low- and medium-level radioactive

waste generated by the Doel and Tihange nuclear

power stations amounted to 5.9 m3/TWh. This drop

of 59% compared to 1990 is the result of efforts at

technical and organisational level. The nuclear pow-

er stations’ liquid and gaseous discharges remained

largely below the authorised annual limits (refer to

pg. 59). The EMAS environmental declarations pub-

lished each year by the Doel and Tihange nuclear

power stations provide a detailed summary of their

total effect on the environment.

5.6 billion euros in nuclear reserves

The fi nancial reserves required in the future to

manage the irradiated spent fuels and for the dis-

mantling of the nuclear power stations, are built

up, year by year, by Electrabel. Since 2003, the

Synatom company is legally required to man-

age these nuclear reserves under the control of

the Belgian State. On 31 December 2009, nuclear

reserves totalled an amount of almost 5.6 billion

euros, of which 3.7 billion were for waste manage-

ment and 1.9 billion for dismantling works.

Renewable energy

Electrabel is the largest producer and supplier of

green power in Belgium. The company’s objective

is to have, by 2015, a production park with renew-

able energy sources (RES) having enough capac-

ity to supply one million households entirely with

green energy.

Green energy for 523 000 households

At the end of 2009, Electrabel’s portfolio consisted

of 419 MW in biomass installations, wind farms,

hydroelectric power plants and photovoltaic pan-

els, the equivalent of 3.55% of its total capacity in

Belgium. Over the 2008-2009 period, the company

invested 100 million euros in new RES capacity.

In 2009, the wind farms at Dour (extension of

4 MW) and Ford Genk (4 MW), as well as nine

photovoltaic installations − including at Beaulieu in

Kruishoutem (1.1 MW) and at Volvo Trucks in Ghent

(extension of 0.5 MW) − came into use. Because of

the transfer of the 56 MW biomass capacity of the

Langerlo power station to E.ON (refer to pg. 8), the

total capacity at the end of the year had, however,

dropped by 45 MW compared to 2008. At the end

of 2009, there were 4 wind farms (24 MW) and one

photovoltaic plant (0.2 MW) under construction.

The RES plants produced 1.83 TWh, the equivalent

of the electricity consumption of 523 000 house-

holds. Production remained virtually the same as in

2008, mainly because of the lack of biomass incin-

eration at the Rodenhuize power station over sever-

al months (estimated production loss of 200 GWh).


Renewable energy-based electricity production of

Electrabel in Belgium in GWh

2009 2008 2007

Hydroelectric 58 73 74

Wind 191 147 116

Biomass 1 580 1 638 1 217

Photovoltaic 2 1 0

Total 1 831 1 859 1 407

Number of households* 523 000 531 000 402 000

*3 500 kWh/year per household

TOGETHER FOR LESS CO2

Having at its disposal

renewable energy-

based generating

facilities to cover the

needs of one million

households.

1.


Some headwind for offshore wind

projects

The offshore wind energy projects in which

Electrabel is involved, in 2009, met with differing

experiences.

The Council of State rejected the appeal that

Electrabel had lodged against the lifting of the

permit granted to it in 2002 for the building of the

Seanergy wind farm (100 MW). This meant that the

permit was permanently withdrawn and that the

construction of the project is no longer possible.

Electrabel and the company Jan De Nul submitted

two concession applications in 2008 for the build-

ing of wind turbine farms at two different areas in

the North Sea − the projects Blue4Power zone I

and zone II. After a negative recommendation from

the CREG, which objected because of the impact

on sea traffi c, the Minister of Energy decided, at


Pathoekeweg

Izegem

Dour

Perwez

Gembloux

Büllingen

Ford Genk

BASF

Bütgenbach

Hoogstraten

Awirs

Lanaken

Mol

Kasterlee

Schelle

Rodenhuize

Volvo

Wondelgem

Ruien

Generating facilities of Electrabel in Belgium – renewable energy – at end 2009

Hydroelectric Photovoltaic (>0.2 MW) Biomass (co-)combustion Wind

Other power stations: refer to pg. 17

Generating capacity of Electrabel in

Belgium in MW - renewable energy

2004

4222

76

67

22

314

101

22

340

109

22

284

1

4

2007 2008 2009

403

464

419

140

Photovoltaic Biomass Hydroelectric Wind

Capacity dropped in 2009, as a result of the

transfer to E.ON of the 56 MW biomass capacity

of the Langerlo power station.



the beginning of 2010, to reject the request for

the zone I situated further north. The concession

for zone II was allocated to another candidate.

Electrabel is examining the consequences of these

decisions for the continuation of the project.

Electrabel reached an agreement with the Belwind

company for the purchase of the power that will

be generated by the Belwind wind farm. In a fi rst

phase, it involves an estimated production of

540 GWh/year, Electrabel will be able to commer-

cialise through its green offer.

100% biomass to produce 180 MW

In 2009, the company approved the project for

the conversion in Rodenhuize power station of a

coal group into a 100% biomass-unit with a capac-

ity of 180 MW. For this purpose, Electrabel and

Ackermans & van Haaren established the joint ven-

ture, Max Green, in which Electrabel has a 73%

share. The conversion represents a 125 million euro

investment and will commence in 2010.

To safeguard the wood pellet supply of its biomass

plants – in 2009, the company consumed 1.08 mil-

lion tonnes of biomass of which 0.72 million tonnes

were wood pellets −, Electrabel entered into a

partnership with Pacifi c BioEnergy Corporation that

involves the expansion of an existing wood pellet

factory in British Columbia (Canada), as well as a

long-term supply contract for 225 000 tonnes of

pellets/year.

Electrabel, furthermore, ensures that the biomass

used is of a sustainable nature. For this purpose,

the company created a unique certifi cation proce-

dure in cooperation with Laborelec. This entails the

inspection of its biomass suppliers across the world

by an independent institute.

Clear commitment to invest in

renewable energy

The GDF SUEZ Group has committed to realise

an investment programme in renewable energy of

500 million euros via Electrabel. This commitment

was made in the context of the overall agreement

reached with the Belgian State concerning the deci-

sion to extend the operations period of the oldest

nuclear power stations.

Furthermore, under the provisions of the Programme

Law, Electrabel established the BELGreen coopera-

tive at the end of 2009, with the intention of invest-

ing 250 million euros in renewable energy projects.

Conventional production park effi ciency

Due to the ongoing upgrading of generating facili-

ties, Electrabel’s power stations use less and less

fuel to produce electricity. The fossil energy units

achieved an average yield of 42.6% in 2009, imply-

ing an increase of 20% since 1990 and of 2.4%

over the last two years. This results in savings in

fossil fuels, as well as a reduced environmental im-

pact of the generating facilities.

400 million euros for new high-yield units

2009 signifi ed the fi rst full production year for the

new Amercoeur CCGT power station that came into

operation at the end of 2008 – Electrabel converted

an old coal group into a natural gas-fi red power sta-

tion of 420 MW with a yield of 57%. Other pro-

duction units that were either in the start-up phase

or under construction at the end of 2009 and that

should have an additional positive effect on the yield

in future, are the 305 MW Knippegroen power plant


500 million euro in-

vestment to continue

improvements in the

energy-effi ciency of

conventional power

stations in Belgium.

2.



on the ArcelorMittal (Sidmar) site in Ghent − this

shall convert the blast furnace gasses of the steel

producer to electricity − and the Lanxess Rubber

(58 MW) and Evonik Degussa (21 MW) combined

heat and power units in Antwerp Port. The compa-

ny has invested 400 million euros in these projects

since 2008.

The end of a successful generation

At the end of 2009, Electrabel decommissioned

the coal power station at Amercoeur, dating from

1968 (127 MW). The company also prepared the

closure of other older production plants which no

longer comply with the prescribed environmental

and economic standards. In the course of 2010, the

131 MW Mol 12 coal group from 1967, the 124 MW

Mol 11 coal group from 1963 and the 261 MW

Kallo 2 natural gas/fuel oil group from 1972 will be

stopping production activities.

13% less CO2 in two years

Over the last two years, the CO2-emissions per pro-

duced kWh of the fossil-fuelled Electrabel produc-

tion park in Belgium declined by 12.8%. This signifi-

cant drop – compared to 1990, it even amounts to

38% − is a consequence of a combination of fac-

tors relating to both company strategy and external

influences (2009 values compared to 2008):

• better availability and higher production of the

nuclear power stations (+3.7%);

• the use of more biomass in the Rodenhuize pow-

er station (+4.8%);

• the first full production year of the new Amercoeur

natural gas-fired CCGT power station (57% yield);

• reduced industrial activity caused by the eco-

nomic crisis resulting in less Sidmar blast furnace

gas being incinerated in the Rodenhuize power

plant (-25.7%);

• reduced coal consumption because of the better

competitive position of natural gas (-6.9%);

• the closure of old coal-fired power stations.

Effi ciency of Electrabel’s fossil-fuelled

power stations in Belgium in %

41.6

35.5

37.7

40.9 40.6

42.642.0

90 95 00 05 07 08 09

Emissions per kWh generated by

Electrabel’s generating facilities in Belgium

in grammes of CO2/kWh

2009200820071990

977

349

232 215 202

692 663604

Conventional, CCGT, CHP Total park


DEIDra

xRW

ECEZ

NuonEDP

Scotti

sh&South

ern

Vatte

nfall

Enel

Union F

enosa

E.ON

Dong

GDF SUEZ (E

urope)

Iber

drola

Elect

rabel

(Bel

gium

)EDF

Verbund

Fortu

m

1 006

818742

597503 500 496 452 422 416 411 404

Europe: 350327283

202140

10141

With the best in Europe

Compared to other energy producers’ production parks in Europe, Electrabel’s park remains one of the best performers.

CO2 emissions in grammes of CO2/kWh – year 2008 (Electrabel, year 2009)source: PwC


Saving 1.7 million tonnes of CO2

By investing in renewable energy (commitment 1) and in improved effi ciency of its conventional power

stations (commitment 2), Electrabel wants to reduce its production park’s total CO2 emissions by

1.7 million tonnes over the period 2008-2014 (cumulated reductions, calculated for a constant produc-

tion rate – reference year 2007).

The results over the 2008-2009 period, show that the company is keeping its commitment. A total of

2.7 million tonnes less CO2 were emitted due to the economic downturn (lower consumption of blast

furnace gas) and structural reasons (the closure of a part of the coal incineration at the Mol power

station, the doubling of wood pellet incineration in the Rodenhuize power plant, the commissioning of

the new CCGT Amercoeur power station).

Total ecological footprint

Besides the measures taken by Electrabel to reduce

its production park’s carbon footprint, the company

implements an active policy to limit the emission of

polluting substances, as well as the environmental

impact in the fi eld of water, soil, noise, waste and

hazardous substances. The policy guidelines were

set down in a Global Environmental Plan 2008-2012.

These are supplemented by environmental targets

per theme and performance indicators measuring

the progress. In support of its policy, Electrabel

launched a training course entitled ‘Environment

in Production’, compulsory for all new members of

management in Production.



93% of the activities under the control of

an environmental management system

The purpose of environmental management sys-

tems is to promote the continuous improvement

of a company’s environmental achievements and to

encourage it to achieve increasingly higher objec-

tives. In 2009, the Ruien power station was award-

ed ISO 14001 environmental management system

certifi cation, resulting in the fact that 92.9% of

Electrabel’s production in Belgium originated from

power stations with a certifi ed environmental man-

agement system. The introduction of an ISO 14001

management system in the Rodenhuize and Knip-

pegroen power stations is also planned, which will

ensure that all large Electrabel sites are certifi ed.

The Doel and Tihange nuclear power stations are

also EMAS registered and, in that context, they

publish an annual environmental declaration detail-

ing their environmental achievements.

As part of its environmental management systems,

Electrabel, in 2009, developed a methodology for

carrying out thematic audits in the power plants

to test regulatory compliance. These audits will

take place in the course of 2010. In the meantime,

compared to 2005, the company has reduced the

number of emission limit value exceedances for air

(22 in 2009) and water (24 in 2009) – as a result of

unforeseen technical or operational problems – by

a factor of 7.

To reduce the water consumption and the polluting

liquid discharges, Electrabel is working on a 2011-

2015 Master Plan that will contain practical actions

based on a detailed inventory and description of

the water fl ows. In addition, a second 2011-2015

Master Plan is being prepared to implement the en-

ergy saving measures (increase of yield), identifi ed

by Laborelec in 2009 during energy audits of the

production sites.

Solutions for waste and soil problems

The linchpins of Electrabel’s waste policy are to

prevent and recycle or re-use as much as possible

of waste materials and by-products. In 2009, the

company listed the ‘Best Practices’ applied on its

sites for this purposes, such as container parks for

hazardous waste and the use of biodegradable ma-

terials. These are laid down in a 2010-2012 action

plan for implementation in all power stations.

In 2009, 99% of the by-products of coal incineration

(fl y ash, bottom ash and fl ue gas desulphurisation

gypsum) were valorised, mainly in the construction

industry (cement, concrete, plasterboard…). The re-

cycling percentage amounted to 55.4% for industri-

al waste. Electrabel also prepared a dossier regard-

ing the evacuation of the former fl y ash storage site

of the Les Awirs power station – le terril de la Hénâ

– after a scientifi c study indicated that its long-term

stability cannot be completely guaranteed. The ash

will be transported to the cement plant, a sizeable

operation that could last more than ten years.

PCB-containing appliances represent a special cat-

egory of industrial waste. In 2001, with the Flemish

and Walloon authorities, Electrabel prepared a plan

to eliminate PCB-containing transformers in its

electricity power plants by the end of 2010 at the

latest. The last transformer covered by this plan was

removed from Flemish power stations in 2009. In

2010, the last seven transformers will be removed

in Wallonia. Electrabel is also preparing an action

plan to eliminate as soon as possible some trans-

formers not included in the initial removal plan.

A soil survey was carried out in 2009 on several

electric power plant sites (Amercoeur, Doel, Kallo,

Tihange...) and any soil pollution was clearly mapped


Continuing the limita-

tion of the environ-

mental impact of

production activities.

3.



out. Risks will be evaluated in cooperation with the

competent environmental authorities and a reme-

diation plan will be set in motion, if necessary.

Electrabel started decontamination works of the

upper and lower basins at the Coo pumped stor-

age power plant in 2009. A technique was applied

where biopolymers were injected in the soil sedi-

ments to break down organic contamination, built

up over forty years of industrial activity. The works

will take two years to complete.

Ever decreasing air pollution

Since 1990, Electrabel has markedly reduced the

total SO2, NOx and dust emissions emitted by its

production park, as well as the emissions per pro-

duced kilowatt-hour – for both the entire park and

for the power stations stoked by fossil fuels (-85%

to -95%). The specifi c emissions for the produc-

tion park as a whole amounted to 55 milligrammes

of SO2/kWh, 138 milligrammes of NOx/kWh and

6.6 milligrammes of dust/kWh in 2009. The val-

ues for the fossil-fuelled power stations were

166 milligrammes of SO2/kWh, 413 milligrammes

of NOx/kWh and 20 milligrammes of dust/kWh.

In 2009, emissions continued to fall compared to

2008 – and by up to 50% in the case of SO2 – main-

ly because of the increased use of wood pellets in

the Rodenhuize power station, higher nuclear pro-

duction, the reduced use of coal in the Amercoeur 2

power station and the new Amercoeur natural gas

stoked CCGT power station.

Emissions of heavy metals, chlorides, fl uorides and

the greenhouse gases, CH4 and N2O, by Electrabel’s

power plants only make a small contribution to the

total emissions in all sectors. The emitted quanti-

ties are mentioned in the environmental indicators

table (refer to pg. 57).

Environmental policy agreement in Flanders

In 2004, the electricity sector and the Fle-

mish Region entered into an agreement on

reducing SO2 and NOx emissions from elec-

tricity power plants in Flanders for the period

2005-2009. According to the agreement, by

2008 – the last year for which offi cial fi gures

exist – the SO2 emissions had to drop by

90% and that of NOx by 70%, compared to

1990. The reports on the 2005-2008 period

indicated that producers complied with their

commitments. In 2008, the emission reduc-

tions for SO2 and NOx amounted to 91% and

77% respectively (refer to page 27).

In 2009, the discussions between the par-

ties involved on the renewal of the agree-

ment led to a new, modifi ed agreement for

the period 2010-2014 signed at the begin-

ning of 2010.

Emissions per kWh generated by

Electrabel’s fossil-fuelled generating

facilities in Belgium

1990 = 100

NOx SO2 Dust

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

09080705009590

16.1

4.1 4.6



The year of biodiversity

2010 is the International Year of Biodiver-

sity. For Electrabel, this theme is nothing

new since over the past 10-15 years, the

company has taken a number of mea-

sures to protect fauna and fl ora. It has

installed barriers in the nuclear power sta-

tions to keep fi sh out of the water intake

of the cooling water circuit; hydroelectric

power plants have been fi tted with fi sh

ladders to allow migrating fi sh species to

pass through; near the Doel nuclear power

station, a piece of polder area has been

recovered in its original state. As the for-

mer operator of the high voltage grid (till

2001), Electrabel planted green stepping

stones around HV pylons and fi tted mark-

ers observable for birds on HV lines. The

company also cooperated in reintroducing

the peregrine falcon to Belgium. The FIR

affi xed nesting boxes to power station

chimneys and cooling towers where these

birds of prey could breed successfully.

Since the start of the project in 1995, the

Electrabel power stations in Belgium have

counted more than 300 peregrine falcon

chicks. A similar project is under way in the

Netherlands.

With the inclusion of the biodiversity

theme in its sustainable development plan,

Electrabel securely anchored this subject

in its policy. It started to cooperate with

the nature organisations Natagora and

Natuurpunt to map the biodiversity value

of its sites and to manage it appropriate-

ly. Stocktaking at Amercoeur and Ruien

power stations was completed in 2009 and

that of the Laborelec research centre in

Linkebeek has reached its fi nal stage. This

should lead to pilot projects for the protec-

tion and recovery of biodiversity. The com-

pany has also undertaken to compensate

for the possible loss in biodiversity caused

by the installation of wind turbine farms.

At Dour and Quévy, it has launched a study

to examine the impact of the wind turbine

park on the bird population.

Electrabel, moreover, continues to pro-

mote awareness about this issue in coop-

eration with the nature conservation or-

ganisations.

SO2 emissions by power stations

in tonnes

Emissions Objectives

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

05 06 07 08 09

NOx emissions by power stations

in tonnes

Emissions Objectives

25 000

20 000

15 000

10 000

5 000

0

05 06 07 08 09

Environmental policy agreement in Flanders


STRENGTHENING THE BOND WITH THE CUSTOMER

03


• 5.6 million customers

• 125 GWh energy sales

• 350 000 green power

customers

• Tailor-made energy and

CO2 savings

Electricity and natural gas for 5.6 million customers

Electrabel sells electricity and natural gas to 5.6 mil-

lion residential customers, professionals, SMEs,

large companies and public institutions in Belgium.

The company’s market share ranges from between

54 to 91%, depending on the region.

The impact of the economic climate

on sales volumes

In 2009, the sales volumes in Belgium, including

wholesale sales, amounted to 68.9 TWh electric-

ity (29% retail, 59% business and 12% wholesale)

and 55.8 TWh natural gas (68% retail, 28% busi-

ness and 4% wholesale). The volumes sold depend

on the size of the customer portfolio, the overall

economic climate which has a particular infl uence

on the energy consumption of industrial custom-

ers, the severity of the winter months, as well as

customers’ efforts to achieve rational energy con-

sumption.

The drop in sales in 2009 (-1.6% for electricity and

-5% for natural gas) was mainly experienced in the

business customer sector (-9.6% for electricity and

-7.7% for natural gas); for natural gas, sales also

dropped amongst retail customers (-4.5%). These

falls were partially compensated for by increased

sales on wholesale markets.

Falling fuel prices are good for

the energy bill

Electricity prices for large Electrabel industrial cus-

tomers showed a slight increase of on average 1%

in 2009. They were still feeling the effects of the

high prices on the international wholesale markets

in 2008, the point in time when supply contracts

were entered into or the price was ‘set’. Residential

customers saw their total electricity bills drop by

an average of about 8% due to lower fuel prices,

despite the increased distribution network tariffs.

For Electrabel’s industrial natural gas customers,

the total price dropped by approximately 5% be-

cause of the drop in fuel prices in the second half


03.STRENGTHENING THE BOND WITH THE CUSTOMER

Electrabel market share at the end of 2009,

expressed in % of the total number of supply points

source: CREG

electricity natural gas

Flanders 65.8% 68.1%

Wallonia 59.2% 53.9%

Brussels 90.8% 90.2%

Belgium 66.5% 68.2%

72.3 70.0 68.9

200920082007

8.57

40.51

19.86

Electricity sales by Electrabel in Belgium

in TWh – wholesale included

57.3 58.7 55.8

200920082007

2.00

15.74

38.04

Natural gas sales by Electrabel in Belgium

in TWh – wholesale included

wholesale business retail total


of 2008, which had its full effect from April 2009.

Residential natural gas customers also experienced

a drop in price for the same reason (-15% on the to-

tal invoice), even though distribution network tariffs

increased here too.

A study published by the CREG, at the beginning

of 2010, confi rmed this trend. For Electrabel’s resi-

dential customers, it reported an 18 to 26% fall in

the energy price for electricity – i.e. the share of the

total price which is determined by the supplier, and

which is independent of the distribution network

tariffs − and of more than 40% for natural gas in

the 2008-2009 period.

Customer Care

In the two years since Electrabel named 2008 the

‘Year of the Customer’, the company has taken a

wide range of initiatives to improve services for its

customers and respond more effi ciently to their

queries and complaints.

Electrabel shops serve as new points

of contact

As part of its ‘multi-channel’ strategy to communi-

cate with its customers, Electrabel opened its fi rst

‘Electrabel shop’ in Antwerp in September 2009

– and fi ve thousand customers had come to visit

by the end of the fi rst fi ve months. A second shop

opened in Brussels in February 2010 and a third fol-

lowed in Namur in June 2010. In the shops, where

visitors get to talk to Electrabel staff, customers

can ask questions about energy saving, heating and

lighting applications, photovoltaic solar panels, the

company’s range of products and services, info on

moving house, bills, new contracts and after-sales

assistance and services. The shops augment the

company’s existing channels of communication,

such as the Energy Line (up to 16 000 telephone

calls a day), the website (80 000 logins to the online

energy desk a month), the forty points-of-contact

in the branches of the Belgian Post Offi ce and the

network of more than two thousand accredited

Electrabel Partners.

Strengthening of the Contact Center

The N-Allo Contact Center, which Electrabel has

been developing since 1999 and in which it holds

an 86% stake, is often the customer’s fi rst point

of contact with the company. To strengthen its ser-

vices, the contact center has increased the number

of co-workers it employs by almost one fi fth since

2007. By the end of 2009, N-Allo (including its sub-

sidiary Brucall) employed 1 130 members of staff

as opposed to 957 at the end of 2007. In 2009 the

contact center, which has grown to become one of

the biggest in Belgium (with six locations across

the country), received 4.8 million calls.

More effi cient processing of complaints

Electrabel sees every complaint as an opportu-

nity to improve services and increase customer

satisfaction. Feedback from the customer keeps

the company working on the continual improve-

50

100

150

200

250

01/07 07/08 01/09 07/09 01/1001/0807/07

50

100

150

200

250

Electricity and fuel market prices

January 2007 = 100

Coal (API#2) Oil (Brent IPE)

Electricity (baseload, Y+1) Natural gas (Grp)

Martin Claes, Executive Manager

Contact Center N-Allo

Do you experience in practice that

the energy landscape has changed?

When young people nowadays get a present of

a ‘digital’ camera they wonder: why ‘digital’? For

them, ‘digital’ is perfectly normal. I sometimes get

the same impression now when I meet young em-

ployees in Marketing & Sales. I can see by the look

on their face that they wonder why we old-timers

insist on referring to the deregulated market. In the

commercial environment in which they operate,

they consider anything else as belonging to the dim

and distant past.

In the past ten years Electrabel has changed be-

yond recognition, from a rather conservative utili-

ties company to a company that increasingly thinks

and acts commercially; a remarkable effort that

still is not at its end. The fact that we belong to

one of the world’s largest groups has accelerated

this ongoing process.

We frequently read that the deregulated

market only exists on paper. Does it?

Do we really have a free market? Is there true

competition spurring us to think even more com-

mercially? We frequently do indeed hear questions

such as this; and from political circles, often with

reproaches towards the ‘incumbents’ of this world.

Today’s marketing & sales job brings the most prac-

tical possible answer to this question. Electrabel’s

Marketing & Sales department keeps a close watch

on the increasing number of small and large com-

panies competing fi ercely with each other, so as

to keep one step ahead of them. The promotions

and campaigns to distinguish the company from

the competition are based directly on energy sup-

plies tailored to the customer, whose consumption

pattern is increasingly cost-conscious and ecology-

minded.

In fact, our customers have changed over the past

decade just as much as we have. They are increas-

ingly at ease with the market model composed of

suppliers and network operators, and they eagerly

scan the various offers that they receive. Price and

quality of service clearly infl uence their choice, and

will continue to do so. The signals we get from dis-

cussion forums in the social media indicate that

customers are increasingly alert and ready to pun-

ish any shortcomings.

How do you see the future?

We set up the N-Allo Contact Center ten years ago

as an Electrabel subsidiary, with the aim of helping

customers through all the teething troubles during

the different stages of deregulation and making it

feasible and acceptable for them. We went through

some testing times ourselves, merely with the un-

bundling of the IT systems. It was an extremely

diffi cult period, but the determination to make a

success of the partnership between the many oper-

atives on the N-Allo front line and the Marketing &

Sales back offi ces ensured that we are now on the

right road. Our customer service is getting better

every day, and the marketeers are now much more

familiar with the practical needs of the market. In

combination with strict control of the cost structure

this will enable us to look forward with optimism to

the challenging years that lie ahead of us. That’s the

real Electrabel optimism that I come across in so

many of our colleagues, who look forward eagerly

to the future and reassure customers about their

energy choice!

The company has adapted to the deregulated energy market


03 STRENGTHENING THE BOND WITH THE CUSTOMER


ment of its processes for complaints processing.

The company has greatly improved its accessibil-

ity by recruiting new operators to its N-Allo Contact

Center and the back offi ces. It has also introduced

greater autonomy to the contact center, as a result

of which complaints regarding topics such as col-

lections, bills and changes of supplier can largely

be dealt with directly by the customer advisors at

N-Allo. Electrabel has also put in place a process for

fast-tracking and dealing with complaints received

through external channels such as the Federal Pub-

lic Services, regulators and consumer organisations

or through its own personnel.

In 2009, the company received 55 000 complaints,

of which 41% came in by telephone, 26% via the

website, 26% by letter or fax, 4% through Electrabel

Partners and 3% by email. 63% of these com-

plaints related to billing. The company responded to

72% of the complaints within a period of one week.

9 in 10 customers satisfi ed

Electrabel continuously gauges its customers’ sat-

isfaction to see if the company is meeting their

needs and expectations and, if necessary, make

changes to its services. Specifi cally, customers are

able to express their satisfaction on a scale from

extremely satisfi ed to unsatisfi ed, with a few levels

in between. Over the 2007-2009 period, on aver-

age, nine out of ten retail and business customers

said that they were satisfi ed with the company in

general.

Besides measuring general satisfaction, the com-

pany looks at customer satisfaction in areas such

as services, price and product range among others.

All the parameters are grouped together in the cus-

tomer satisfaction index (CSI), which is one of the

main key performance indicators routinely moni-

tored by the company. The CSI index is designed

to provide an immediate identifi cation of any new

trend. This allows the company to respond quickly

if a signifi cant fall in satisfaction is measured in one

or more parameters.

Informing the customer

In 2009, Electrabel used a variety of channels to

provide information for its customers. Its website,

www.electrabel.be, contains everything there is

to know on the services, products and price plans

offered by the company, as well as many practical

tools for reducing energy consumption, checking

bills, satisfying administrative formalities… In 2009,

the website had 4.1 million visitors.

Electrabel also launched a series of radio spots

which gave objective information on the workings

of the natural gas and electricity market and antic-

ipated the kinds of questions which customers ask.

The spots explained the bill, the indexed or fi xed

price, the fi xed monthly fee and the price of elec-

tricity.

Specialised magazines, designed to suit customer

profi les (Energiek! / Énergique! for residential cus-

tomers (circulation 4.5 million), Energiek onderne-

men/Entreprendre avec énergie for professionals

and SMEs, and Energy News for large businesses

and public institutions) and the electronic newslet-

ters which the company distributed freely on sev-

eral occasions in the course of 2009 provided an

extra source of practical information.

STRENGTHENING THE BOND WITH THE CUSTOMER 03

80

85

90

95

100

Q2 20

07

Q4 20

07

Q1 20

08

Q2 20

08

Q1 20

09

Q2 20

09

Q4 20

08

Q4 20

09

Q1 20

10

General satisfaction of the Electrabel

customer (% of customers who are satisfi ed,

very satisfi ed or extremely satisfi ed)


Tailoring the offer to the needs of the customer

Electrabel offers its customers a range of services

consisting of energy packages, energy saving (refer

to page 35), generating low carbon energy at home

(refer to page 35) and using green power (refer to

page 36). The company is constantly tailoring its

range to the needs of customers and new develop-

ments in the marketplace.

In 2009, Electrabel carried out a study of customer

attitudes to sustainable development. It surveyed

3 900 of its biggest customers on this subject –

15% responded. Almost seven in ten companies

stated that they were currently implementing sus-

tainable development or wished to do so in the

future and 74% of the big companies considered

Electrabel as a potential partner in their plans.

Electrabel also developed a number of new prod-

ucts for its residential customers to help install a

photovoltaic system. PV Guide helps customers

choose a system (refer to page 36) and PV Comfort

deals with regular servicing and cleaning of the in-

stallation. There is a special PV Support service for

professional customers with installations between

10 kW and 100 kW, which provides advice about

managing green power certifi cates among other

things. The company has also developed a new tool

to help customers calculate their annual savings

when switching from oil to natural gas or when re-

placing their old gas boiler. This initiative was part of

a campaign which Electrabel set up in late 2009 to

inform customers about the benefi ts of natural gas.

These new services augment the broad range of

energy and environment services which the com-

pany already provides.


Examples of Electrabel’s energy and

environment services

• Check-up Call: an energy expert

discusses by phone the trend and the

optimisation of the customer’s energy

consumption

• Check-up Visit: an energy expert detects

and photographs strong and weak

aspects of installations and gives advice

on how to save energy

• CO2 tool: calculate the annual CO2

emission of the family online and get tips

for improvement

• Consumption meter: follow

consumption online month-by-month,

indicate the required savings and

compare consumption with that of a

comparable household and home

• Energy Audit: an expert drops by to ana-

lyse the household’s energy consumption

and to offer customised solutions

• Energy Explorer: easy access to invoice

details for all sites to facilitate energy

budget management

• Energy Kronos: monitor energy

consumption accurately and effi ciently

online by means of reports and graphs

• Energy Viewer: check trends in billing

data at a glance

• Home Optimizer: discover online which

habits and equipment use energy exces-

sively and, consequently, do not permit

savings; identify the most important

measures that will make a difference

• Photo Scan: an energy expert carries

out a photographic analysis of the

energy applications and sets out specifi c

recommendations for enhanced energy

control.


Electrabel also took part in an initiative to advise

starters and young entrepreneurs when setting up

a business. In 2009, the company joined forces with

ING, Belgacom and Systemat to set up the Start

Your Business non-profi t organisation. The website

www.startyourbusiness.be focuses on specifi c re-

quirements and offers, besides workshops, man-

agement tools, information sessions…, the best

commercial deals on the market.

With the specifi c aim of selling energy and energy

services to Key Accounts in Europe, GDF SUEZ

launched the GDF SUEZ Global Energy brand. GDF

SUEZ Global Energy provides custom solutions

which meet specifi c energy requirements and ad-

dress the priorities of these customers. Due to the

global supply of natural gas and electricity they can

benefi t, for example, from custom offers for multi-

sites and supplies in different countries, thereby

optimising their energy consumption.

Energy savings

Electrabel helps its customers to limit their energy

consumption and expenditures and therefore in

reducing their carbon footprint. The company of-

fers a series of energy services whereby consump-

tion can be reduced, tracked and managed. The

customer will fi nd a summary of the services on

www.electrabel.be and can use a number of them

online.

Saving energy 100 000 times

In 2008 and 2009, Electrabel supplied almost

2 000 energy savings products to industrial clients

and SMEs, in particular Photo Scan and Check-up

Visit. In 2009, 3 700 industrial clients visited the

online energy management tools Energy Kronos,

Energy Viewer and Energy Explorer 30 000 times,

an increase of 35% compared to 2008. Electrabel

entered into a fi rst Energy Savings Partnership

(ESP) with the Van de Velde company which will be

fi nalised in 2010. The purpose of an ESP is to estab-

lish possible energy savings at the customer’s site

and to help him to implement them in practice.

In 2009, Electrabel and its competence centre

Laborelec helped about fi fty customers to identify

electric and thermal solutions with which energy

savings of between 2% and 15% can be made.

This was achieved in the context of the Flemish

Region’s audit covenant, which is open to industrial

companies that want to improve their energy effi -

ciency and whose primary energy consumption is

between 0.1 and 0.5 PJ/year.

73 000 residential and professional customers also

made use of energy-saving products, in 2009 (Energy

Audit, Check-up Call, online web tools).

Own energy production using low carbon fuels

Electrabel makes available the knowledge and

expertise it gained from the operation of its pro-

duction park to customers who opt for their own



Helping customers to

reduce their energy

consumption.

4.


Working together with

customers so that

they generate their

own environmentally

friendly energy.

5.


environmentally friendly installations to produce

electricity or heat.

426 MW at industrial customers

The company has a long tradition of building energy

plants emitting little or no CO2 in cooperation with

and on site at its industrial and professional cus-

tomers. This allows them to use the energy thus

generated to reduce their carbon footprint and their

energy bill. In 2008 and 2009, Electrabel entered

into an agreement with fi fteen industrial customers

for the development of new projects (wind energy,

photovoltaic plants and combined heat and power)

for a total capacity of 42 MW and CO2 savings of

95 kilotonnes per year. It also signed a partnership

agreement with Bekaert to study the options for lo-

cal electricity production at the Bekaert sites, for

example, building a wind farm in Zwevegem.

Close cooperation with the customer also leads

to the development of sizeable industrial projects

such as the new Knippegroen power station at

ArcelorMittal (Sidmar) in Ghent (305 MW) and the

combined heat and power units at Lanxess Rubber

(58 MW) and Evonik Degussa (21 MW) in the Port

of Antwerp.

700 times solar energy and 90 000 times

natural gas for retail customers

At the beginning of 2009, Electrabel launched the

service PV Guide providing technical, fi nancial and

practical information for its retail customers want-

ing to install photovoltaic solar panels, helping them

to evaluate their project and to make the correct

choice. In 2009, 700 customers subscribed to this

service.

Electrabel provides natural gas to almost two mil-

lion customers in Belgium. The company informs

prospective customers about the advantages of

this energy source for heating. Over the 2008-2009

period, Electrabel recorded 90 000 new natural gas

connections of which 74 000 were for heating for its

residential clients. Compared with a classic heating

system using fuel oil, an estimated 148 000 tonnes

of CO2 emissions per year can be avoided.

Going for green energy

Electrabel is the largest producer and supplier of

green energy in Belgium. It has a specifi c green

energy offer for every customer category – a detailed

description of this can be found on the website

www.electrabel.be.

Electrabel and the GDF SUEZ Group’s own produc-

tion means with renewable energy sources (419 MW

in Belgium and as much as 6 000 MW in Europe as

a whole), allow the company to supply customers

with large quantities of green power.

Certifi ed Belgian green power for

350 000 customers

By the end of 2009, 321 000 households, as well

as 33 000 professional customers had opted for

a GreenPlus or Professional Green contract from

Electrabel. These products comprise the supply of

power originating from 100% renewable energy,

produced 100% by Electrabel in Belgium. Every

year, the independent institution Vinçotte validates

the origin and the volumes of the green power to

be supplied (refer to pg. 65).

The company offers AlpEnergie, 100% green power

originating from the GDF SUEZ Group’s hydroelec-

tric power plants in France, of which the origin is


Providing customers

with 100% green

certifi ed electricity,

produced using

renewable energy

sources.

6.



certifi ed by the Technischer Überwachungs-Verein

(TÜV), to its industrial customers and public organi-

sations. In 2009, Electrabel sold 3.2 TWh under the

AlpEnergie label in Belgium, spread over 1 100 con-

tracts, an increase of 39% compared to 2008.

This quantity represented approximately 8% of

total electricity sales to business customers.

The capacity of its own production means using

renewable energy sources is still insuffi cient

to cover the ever growing industrial customer

demand for green power. Electrabel therefore also

buys green power on the market with guarantees

of origin.

Driving on electricity or natural gas

Electrabel encourages the use and development of

vehicles running on electricity or natural gas. The

company takes initiatives with and on behalf of its

customers and is working on an internal plan for

sustainable mobility, aimed at the use of cleaner

means of transport and reducing the number of

trips made by its employees (refer to pg. 42).

600 000 kilometres on CNG

In 2009, Electrabel started discussions with fi fteen

customers to investigate whether their company

car fl eet could switch over to Compressed Natural

Gas – CNG. A fi rst agreement was entered into

with the DHL company. Electrabel shall invest in

natural gas (slow) fi lling stations for the supply of

a fl eet of company vehicles at this customer’s site.

In 2008, Electrabel opened three public natural gas

fi lling stations in Antwerp, Bruges and Mechelen. In

2009, ten fl eet owners and private customers used

a total of 37 000 kilogrammes of compressed natu-

ral gas at the three stations. This fuel consumption

corresponds to an estimated travelling distance of

622 000 kilometres.

First trial projects using electric vehicles

Electrabel also participates in programmes to de-

velop electric vehicles. Because of the low CO2

emissions of its production park – 202 grammes of

CO2/kWh −, it holds an important trump card for

their supply.

In 2009, with the Ford Genk constructor and the

Green Propulsion company in Liège, Electrabel

started a research project to convert a Ford Mondeo

Break to a plug-in hybrid vehicle mainly running on

electricity, but also able to switch over to natural

gas or petrol. The fi rst prototype is expected in the

summer of 2010.

It was also decided to build an electric fast-recharg-

ing station and a slow-recharging station at Cofely

Services, another company of GDF SUEZ, to test

the recharging of customers’ electrical utility vehi-

cles in practice. Electrabel is also planning a project

involving its own staff to gain experience in using

hybrid and electric vehicles at home and at work.

Sales of green power by Electrabel in Belgium

2009 2008

Residential contracts 321 000 98 000

Professional contracts 33 000 3 500

Volume AlpEnergie 3.2 TWh 2.3 TWh



Encourage mobility

using natural gas and

electricity.

7.


02 VERTROUWEN OP

VERWORVEN KENNIS

LOREM IPSUM 70 % Itas aut hillandit et rerlendis

Aliqui am faciliq uidebi

offi cipit eolps modis....

PURSUING AN EXEMPLARY FUNCTION


04

• 7 500 collaborators

• Almost 8 000 tonnes

less CO2

• R&I as a driving force

• A company with a hart


04.PURSUING AN EXEMPLARY FUNCTION

Transparency and dialogue with stakeholders

Due to the nature of its activities, Electrabel has

close ties with its stakeholders, remaining in con-

stant contact with them. It wants to keep them in-

formed in regard to achievements, in particular in

the area of sustainable development. In 2009, the

company embarked on numerous new initiatives in

this regard.

Advisory committee and board kicking off

Electrabel established a Scientifi c Advisory Commit-

tee consisting of representatives of the Belgian and

international academic world. In addition to man-

agers from GDF SUEZ, Electrabel and Laborelec,

professors from various universities in Belgium, the

Netherlands and the United Kingdom serve on this

Committee.

The purpose of the Committee is to identify devel-

opments in the area of energy technology in the

medium to long run and to identify the areas requir-

ing further research. The Committee met twice in

2009, when it dealt with themes such as the effi -

ciency of biomass, energy storage, CO2 valorisation

in addition to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

and low-grade energy recuperation.

Electrabel also took the fi rst steps in setting up a

Sustainable Development Advisory Board consist-

ing of members from universities, employers’ or-

ganisations, trade unions, consumer organisations,

NGOs… The fi rst meeting of the Board, which will

meet twice a year, is planned for September 2010.

The Board will focus on the evaluation of the results

and the strategic direction of Electrabel in regard to

sustainable development.

Customised information and

communication

The company decided to adjust its Activities and

Sustainable Development Report 2009 – Electrabel

has published an annual environmental report and/

or an activities report since 1995 – based on the

Global Reporting Initiative principles and to take the

fi rst steps towards external validation (see page 53).

Electrabel also launched an electronic newsletter

that informs its stakeholders – subscribing is pos-

sible on the website www.electrabel.be/duurzaam

– a number of times a year on the results and the

initiatives of its plan Together for less CO2.

In addition to these new initiatives, Electrabel

continued, in 2009, with the actions it had already

commenced with to maintain dialogue with its

stakeholders:

• 16 000 interested parties visited one of its elec-

tric power plants;

• The Doel nuclear power station had three meet-

ings with the consultation group (klankbordraad)

consisting of residents from the area around the

power station and it distributed four issues of

Doel Bewust, its external information magazine;

• The Tihange nuclear power station had three

meetings with the ‘Comité de riverains’ consisting

of residents from the area close to the power

station and it distributed three issues of Tihange

Contact, its external information magazine;

• Electrabel has begun a project to modernise the

visitor centres at Doel, Tihange and Coo power

plants, with a view to offering guests a better

welcome and enhanced information;


Ensuring a

transparent dialogue

with stakeholders.

8.


• The Doel and Tihange nuclear power stations, in

the ambit of their EMAS-registration, published

an Environmental declaration refl ecting the envi-

ronmental achievements of the power stations in

detail (refer to page 67);

• Ruien power station organised an open day to

explain its environmental activities – fl ue gas

purifi cation, biomass, transport;

• Electrabel had about twenty information meet-

ings to inform the local population on its plans to

build wind farms;

• The new CCGT-Amercoeur, Knippegroen and

Max Green construction projects were also heav-

ily publicised.

Problem reporting, dealing with

complaints

Electrabel internal procedures require that the au-

thorities are informed when any accident takes

place at the electric power plants that has an im-

portant environmental impact. The company also

investigates and replies to every complaint, and,

where necessary, takes the appropriate measures.

In 2009, 192 offi cial complaints (and fi ve warn-

ings) were formulated, of which 189 were repeti-

tive complaints about certain wind farms. Besides,

there were around fi fty non-offi cial complaints, in

particular from local parties – in some cases, a spe-

cial telephone number has been allocated for this

purpose.

15 level 1 events on the International Nuclear Event

Scale (INES scale) occurred at the Doel and Tihange

nuclear power stations in 2009. Electrabel published

a press release concerning each of these events,

none of which had any infl uence on the well-being

and the health of employees, neighbours, the envi-

ronment, or the operation of the installations.

We practice what we preach

In 2007, the daily activities of Electrabel employees

carrying out their work – other than the produc-

tion of electricity – generated emissions of 43 000

tonnes of CO2 in Belgium. The company’s inter-

nal action plan focuses on energy consumption

in buildings and procurement and mobility policy

with a view to reducing annual emissions by 9 000

tonnes or by 21% by end 2010.

18% of the 21% savings already achieved

In 2009, the company embarked on numerous new

initiatives in each of the three areas. Combined with

the efforts already under way, these led to a reduc-

tion in CO2 emissions of 5 262 tonnes − so effective

that, by the end of 2009, a reduction of 12.3% was

reached. In addition, an extra saving of more than

2 600 tonnes already set for 2010 will bring the total

reduction to 18.5%.

Low-energy buildings

The installation of photovoltaic panels, the regula-

tion of heating at a lower temperature and a green

power supply were supplemented in 2009 by

night-time inspections to identify any wasted en-

ergy and the installation of the Enerlution Kronos

energy management tool in some buildings. This

tool tracks the energy consumption in detail and

allows the detection of problem areas. Electrabel

also took an important step to reduce the energy


Reducing by 21%

the CO2 emissions

originating from

the staff’s daily

activities.

9.


04 PURSUING AN EXEMPLARY FUNCTION

consumption of its IT equipment. A Green Mode

application ensures that the screen and hard disc

of PCs and laptops automatically switches off after

a few minutes of inactivity. Energy-guzzling screen

savers were also rejected.

Sustainable procurement

The CO2 savings in procurement are a result of a

reduction in paper use and the choice to use re-

cycled paper – it should be noted that, since 2009,

all the paper used by Electrabel carries the FSC

label. In 2009, certifi ed paper consisting of 30%

recycled fi bres was introduced for copiers and the

company’s new staff magazine is printed on 60%

recycled paper. Electrabel also decided to print its

magazine Energiek! / Énergique! − intended for

residential users in Belgium and 4.5 million copies

of which are circulated − on 100% recycled paper

as from 2010. This will lead to emission savings of

2 655 tonnes of CO2/year.

The company also signed an agreement with FSC

Belgium, thereby confi rming its commitment to

responsible and rational paper use and sustainably

managed production forests.

Furthermore, it compiled a catalogue with sustain-

able offi ce equipment with 2 300 products comply-

ing with sustainable criteria.

Cleaner mobility

A reduction in CO2 emissions linked to mobility was

ensured mainly because of a reduction in commut-

ing by car and, to a lesser extent, in air travel.

The numerous initiatives initiated by Electrabel for

cleaner mobility have not gone unnoticed either. The

company was ranked in third place in the Business

Mobility Awards 2009. This is awarded by the Flem-

ish Traffi c Association and the Mobility Institute of

the University of Hasselt to companies or organisa-

tions taking sustainable mobility measures for their

staff, customers or suppliers.

Electrabel, amongst other things, introduced a new

car policy whereby employees opting for environ-

mentally friendly cars can spend an extra mobil-

ity budget on the purchase of, for example, a(n)

(electric) bicycle. Electrabel also includes more

and more environmentally friendly (hybrid) vehicles

in its range of lease cars. Thanks to these meas-

ures, the average emissions of the lease car fl eet

dropped from 161 grammes of CO2/km in 2007 to

152 grammes of CO2/km by the end of 2009. The

average emissions from leased cars ordered after

the introduction of the mobility budget (July 2008)

totalled 137 grammes CO2/km.

The company also launched the green car switch

initiative whereby personnel with a lease vehicle

emitting more than 175 grammes of CO2 per km

are invited to choose an environmentally friendly

car before the end of the contract.

Furthermore, by the end of 2010, the company will

have a fl eet of 25 bi-fuel company vehicles (petrol/

CNG) used for service transport. The fi rst twelve

were commissioned in March 2010. Electrabel ex-

amines the installation of natural gas fi lling stations

at some of its sites for the refuelling of these ve-

hicles.

Internal CO2 emissions in tonnes/year

2007 2009 2010 target

Buildings 6 361 5 801 5 561

Procurement 8 852 5 822* 6 252

Mobility 27 537 23 210 21 937

Total 42 750 34 833 33 750 (-18.5%) (-21%)

* This fi gure already includes a saving of 2 655 tonnes to be achieved in 2010


PURSUING AN EXEMPLARY FUNCTION 04

Mobilising employees, an absolute

requirement

In 2009, Electrabel devoted considerable attention

to promoting awareness and mobilising staff, as

well as establishing a sustainable development cul-

ture in the organisation. Employee involvement is,

above all, essential in achieving its objectives.

In 2009, practically every week, the internal in-

formation channels spent time working on the

Together for less CO2 plan to ensure that employ-

ees are kept up to date with results and initiatives.

Electrabel also launched an internal SD newsletter

and developed an SD scorecard which is updated

twice a year to allow management to closely fol-

low the company’s position with regard to its ob-

jectives. Furthermore, it designed an educational

programme on sustainable development together

with GDF SUEZ University.

Electrabel also introduced a CO2 indicator that con-

tributed 10% to the determination of the annual

bonus for (a part of) the staff. The CO2 emissions

linked to energy consumption in the buildings and

the use of printing paper formed the basis of these

calculations.

In 2009, employees were successfully encouraged

to participate in organisations promoting the use of

bicycles and other environmentally friendly means

of transport (European mobility week, Dring Dring,

Bike To Work). In total, they completed more than

30 000 sustainable kilometres. Electrabel switched

the heating in its offi ce buildings a degree lower

during the annual Thick Jersey day and, with the

Fairtrade@work-action and Bioweek, it opted for

the use of fair-trade and local and organically culti-

vated products in the company’s canteens.

Creating awareness amongst employees is not lim-

ited to behaviour at the workplace but also in their

private life. The company organised the Electrabel

RUE Trophy for the third time, where, for six months,

participants have to save as much energy at home

as possible. In 2009, the winners managed to use

35% less energy. Electrabel also held information

sessions on a group offer for the installation of pho-

tovoltaic panels. 900 staff registered, of which 15%

requested a quotation from one or more suppliers.

And Electrabel, as main sponsor of the second edi-

tion of the exhibition This is our Earth! on sustain-

able development, organised various visits to this

exhibition for its staff and other stakeholders.

Research & Innovation

Research & Innovation form the basis of new

energy-effi cient and environmentally friendly

technologies. GDF SUEZ Group’s extensive re-

search experience makes it possible to offer

innovative, often complex and integrated solu-

tions for energy issues and climate challenges. By

the end of 2009, 1 200 employees were active in

9 Group research centres. In Belgium, Laborelec,

Electrabel’s technical and scientifi c competence

centre, had 246 employees.

Energy effi ciency and clean technology

GDF SUEZ Group’s Research & Innovation pro-

gramme, contributes to sustainable development in

two ways: energy effi ciency in the broadest sense

of the word and non-polluting technologies.

Apart from new technology for energy recupera-

tion and decentralised production (Organic Rankine

Cycle, heat and cold storage, trigeneration…),


Stimulate Research

& Development on

new technologies.

10.


smart grids and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

are two of the most important future-oriented and

innovative research areas.

Smart grids are ingenious energy systems enabling

a fl exible management of the energy demand and

production. A completely operational system was

designed by Laborelec and installed in the Princess

Elisabeth research station in Antarctica in 2009.

Laborelec is also participating in a trial project using

smart grids in the Mechelen area.

Electrabel, amongst other things via Laborelec, is

involved in various GDF SUEZ Group CCS research

projects. In 2009, the company, in cooperation with

E.ON, submitted a demonstration project to the

European Union (via the European EEPR Fund) for

the annual capture of 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 at

E.ON’s new coal power station on the Maasvlakte

in Rotterdam and the transportation and storage

thereof in gas fi elds under the North Sea. The

project should be operational by the end of 2015.

Europe and the Dutch authorities have agreed to

subsidise the project.

The importance the Group attaches to this technol-

ogy, that could be decisive for the future of coal

powered stations in the long run, was also emphat-

ically confi rmed in the protocol agreement entered

into between GDF SUEZ and the Belgian State on

the extension of the operations period of nuclear

power stations (refer to pg. 8). In this, the Group

stated that research and innovation − specifi cally

in regard to new technologies − shall be continued

and that an important part of the Laborelec research

budget of the next few years shall be spent on Car-

bon Capture and Storage and energy-effi cient tech-

nologies for industry and individuals. 5 million euros

shall also be earmarked per year for the support of

nuclear research institutes.

Universities, partners in research

In 2009, Electrabel has supported research at vari-

ous Belgian universities; for instance research at

the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL) on pa-

leoclimatology. Laborelec – with the cooperation of

universities – installed two heat pump installations

in individual’s homes to measure their yield in real

conditions over a full winter season.

The company is also developing a general collabora-

tion strategy regarding the relations with the main

Belgian universities. This strategy aims at promot-

ing research & innovation (R&I) in areas of strategic

interest for the Group and to act towards this stake-

holder group as a socially responsible company.

In this context Electrabel is in advanced negotia-

tion with many of the main Belgian universities of

frame conventions. Within these, the company is

developing dedicated research and collaboration

projects. They cover areas such as energy poverty,

sociological and psychological aspects of wind farm

projects, energy effi ciency of buildings, green mo-

bility, potential of new biomass fuels, combustion

process optimisation and social behaviour of domes-

tic customers regarding the rational use of energy.



An active and responsible employer

Electrabel fulfi lls an important role as a direct and

indirect employer in Belgium. The company imple-

ments an active recruitment policy in order to

ensure, in a timely manner, the replacement and

knowledge transfer of the employees who will

reach pensionable age in the coming years, to man

new power stations and to support the GDF SUEZ

Group’s activities. The Group, furthermore, is com-

mitted to recruiting more than 10 000 people in

Belgium by 2015.

12% new employees

By the end of 2009, Electrabel had 7 447 employees

in Belgium (its Belgian subsidiaries included). Despite

the bad general economic climate, the company re-

cruited 893 new employees. Job seekers can search

for vacant positions on www.electrabel.be/career

and apply online.

30.5% of the staff had a supervisory function,

33% were female and almost 29% were younger

than 30 years. The net reduction in the staff count

in 2009 (-101) is a consequence of the transfer of

169 employees to E.ON due to the transfer of the

Langerlo and Vilvoorde power stations (see pg. 8).

Electrabel, without its subsidiaries, had 6 044 em-

ployees of which 50.5% were in production, 27.2%

in sales, 4.7% in trading and 17.6% in support

services.

Taking charge of personal development

Electrabel offers its employees considerable oppor-

tunities to complete customised training courses

and to take up new positions to shape and improve

their career. In 2009, 560 000 hours of technical and

general training were followed in Belgium and 50%

of the vacant positions were fi lled internally. Inter-

nal mobility is not restricted to Belgium, but covers

the entire GDF SUEZ Group of 200 000 employees.

Staff numbers of Electrabel in Belgium

in active service – subsidiaries included

Women Men

2008 2009

2 414

5 134 4 990

2 457


Age structure of Electrabel’s staff in

Belgium in active service end of 2009 –

subsidiaries included

>55

50-54

45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

<25

0 600300 900 1 200 1 500


Staff can also participate in the improvement of

their working conditions. For this purpose,

Electrabel launched the Well-being at Work project

in 2006, which led to several measures, suggested

by the employees themselves. The implementation

of these also continued at corporate and local levels

in 2009: reservations of crèche positions for chil-

dren of staff, launching of ironing services at the

offi ce, free fruit…

Safety at work, always a priority

Health and safety issues within Electrabel are man-

aged at the highest level of the GDF SUEZ Energy

Benelux & Germany business area. The Health &

Safety/Nuclear Safety department reports directly

to the CEO of the business area and to the Gen-

eral Manager of the Electrabel s.a.

Electrabel’s Health and Safety at work policy is

based on the principle of constant improvement

and it is implemented by means of prevention

plans. In 2009, the company drafted its fourth Glob-

al Prevention Plan – the fi rst plan dates from 1995

– which covers the period 2010-2015. This builds

on the many efforts already made in the area of

technological and organisational management, and

focuses on the improvement of human conduct in

risk situations.

The policy’s effectiveness can be seen clearly in the

values of safety indicators. The rates of frequency

and severity of work accidents over the last few

decades have shown a continuous improvement.

In 2009, they amounted to 2.36 and 0.07 respec-

tively – as opposed to 20.46 and 0.44 in 1995 − and

comply with the predetermined objectives of 2.50

and 0.08. The new 2010-2015 prevention plan must

allow for these results to be further consolidated

and evolve towards the ultimate ambition of zero

casualty.

Special attention was focused on the fl u virus

threat A/H1N1 (Mexican fl u) in 2009. Electrabel, the

Energy Benelux & Germany business area and the

entire GDF SUEZ Group, have been closely watch-

ing the situation. A working group was established

to draw up a detailed action plan in case a pandemic

should occur. The priority was a double one: look-

ing after the health of employees and their families

and, at the same time, ensuring the continuity of

activities.

Information on the safety of its nuclear power sta-

tions, which is a top priority for Electrabel because

of the specifi c problem of radioactivity, is included

in the chapter ‘An important year for nuclear power

stations’ (refer to pg. 18).

Safety indicators Electrabel (Belgium)

subsidiaries not included

95

00

07

08

09

25 20 15 10 5 0

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

Fr

Sr

Sr: Severity rate (number of days of absence per thousand hours worked)

Fr: Frequency rate (number of loss time accidents per million hours worked)


Pierre Devillers, Human Resources

Manager Benelux & Germany

Competition between companies on the

labour market is stiff, and certain skills

are becoming scarce. So, why choose

Electrabel?

Because addressing the energy challenges of today

and tomorrow constitutes a daily challenge, and be-

cause energy businesses are both fascinating and

meaningful. Furthermore, our positioning, as well

as that of GDF SUEZ Group to which we belong, is

based on a very particular formula: making energy

accessible to everyone, everywhere, guaranteeing

a lasting supply at a reasonable price, while reduc-

ing our impact on the environment. A formula that

is possible thanks to our talents, our employees,

who we position at the heart of all of our consid-

erations. Thanks to their skills, we can and want to

make a difference.

The challenges depend on an ambitious

formula, do they not?

Yes, but it is in keeping with the commitments

that we make towards society – a way to reaffi rm

the fundamental role Electrabel plays in the life of

each individual, community or company, and which

holds every one of our employees to account.

Will your ideal candidate be an idealist?

There is no ‘ideal candidate’. On the contrary, it

is the diversity of the applicants, the myriad of

talents and, equally as important, the manner

in which they work together, that constitute the

company’s wealth. No ‘idealists’, either, but rather

resolute men and women who share our values

(drive, commitment, daring, cohesion) and ex-

press them with determination. And those quali-

ties can also be found in candidates with an un-

conventional profi le or an original background.

Furthermore, fewer applicants completely fulfi l our

requirements these days, which is why we employ

candidates with potential, train them internally and

offer them the opportunity to develop throughout

their career.

How exactly do you do that?

Through a variety of projects and several training

and development courses. For example, we have

set up a rehabilitation project geared for young-

sters who, for various reasons, have veered away

from the labour market. With the assistance of the

VDAB (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling

en Beroepsopleiding – Flemish Service for Em-

ployment and Vocational Training), we also focus

on motivated candidates, who possess the techni-

cal ability but do not have a specifi c qualifi cation.

It is a way to give them a good start, by offering

them an apprenticeship involving a theoretical and

practical course leading to the equivalent of a de-

gree in the fi elds we are interested in.

So basically, you are creating your own

talent pool?

Exactly! Within the framework of the project in

question, in 2007 we selected 20 candidates to be

put through internal training courses. By the end,

18 of them clearly had the technical ability ‘in their

bones’, and the will to seize the opportunity. Two

years later, in 2009, they had joined our operational

teams at work in Doel nuclear power plant. Follow-

ing the project’s success, 12 other candidates also

began in 2009 with the same future prospects, fol-

lowing technical training programmes with a view

to changing course. This is just one example amid

many, but it illustrates our philosophy and our will

in this area.



Actively developing talents to address the energy challenges of tomorrow


Social involvement

The commitment of the GDF SUEZ Group and

Electrabel in the area of the Socially Responsible

Enterprise, entails sponsorship and social develop-

ment in addition to sustainable development. From

the central role in society which it fulfi ls as energy

producer and supplier, Electrabel wants to contribute

to the welfare of the community in which it is active.

Sponsorship policy in evolution

Electrabel’s sponsorship policy is an expression of

its values and an illustration of the social responsi-

bility it has taken on. In 2009, the company again

supported many institutions and organisations in

Belgium focusing on the integration of the under-

privileged in society and on nature and environmen-

tal protection, including:

• Beau Vélo de Ravel: participation of the visually

handicapped in cycling events;

• Cap’Ten: promoting at school enterprise spirit

among children aged 10 to 13;

• Cap48: raising awareness of the problems relat-

ing to the readmission of handicapped persons to

society;

• École et surdité: integration of students with im-

paired hearing in ordinary education;

• Natuurpunt and Natagora: raising awareness

concerning biodiversity.

In 2009, the company redefi ned its policy to fully

align it with that of GDF SUEZ. In the course of

2010, it will further shape the new policy which will

in future be based on four pillars:

• solidarity and integration: assistance to chil-

dren in need and to associations aimed at social

integration and support of the weakest;

• culture: upgrading the cultural heritage, with a

focus on music;

• environment: protection and conservation of the

environment;

• sport: integration and personal development

through sport of children in difficulties.

632 new blood donors

The spontaneous support that Electrabel lent to

two particular actions at the beginning of 2010

also illustrates its social commitment. The com-

pany threw itself behind the Red Cross’s national

campaign, Give Blood give life in January. Thanks

to 632 new registrations as blood donors – a little

more than 10% of the staff,

the purpose of the venture

– Electrabel was awarded

the label Company with a

heart!.

The GDF SUEZ Group and Electrabel also mobi-

lised their employees to support those affected by

the earthquake in Haiti. The amounts donated by

the employees to humanitarian organisations and

NGOs were matched by the company. In Belgium

this involved HAITI LAVI 12-12, Doctors Without

Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), Red Cross

Belgium and Energy Assistance.

Electrabel staff members were also active on site

within Energy Assistance, an association estab-

lished in 2001 by employees of the GDF SUEZ

Group. The members voluntarily participate glob-

ally in humanitarian projects involving energy. They

offer their knowledge to communities in the third

world to help them gain access to essential energy

products and resources. In 2009, 19 projects were

completed by Energy Assistance and 40 volunteers

worked 649 days.



Improving employment opportunities

The GDF SUEZ Group also helps groups of persons

that have diffi culties in integrating in the job market.

At the beginning of 2009, the Group entered into a

partnership with the Belgian Paralympic Committee

(BPC) to offer employment opportunities to handi-

capped athletes within its subsidiaries in Belgium.

At the beginning of 2010, this cooperation led to the

recruitment of six athletes within Electrabel and its

subsidiaries.

In cooperation with the VDAB, Forem and Bruxelles

Formation, in 2009, for the fourth time, Electrabel

employed about twenty people in the ambit of its

project Inschakelingsgroepen (Integration groups).

This mainly involved people with a vocational handi-

cap, persons with modest qualifi cations and persons

who want to reintegrate within the labour market.

They work in the company for a year and are given

the opportunity to follow various kinds of training.

With this experience, they can increase their chances

of employment.

Ethical behaviour in commercial relationships

Electrabel integrates environmental and communi-

ty care in its procurement procedures and supplier

and product selection. The specifi cations include

criteria that tie in with the commitments set by the

company.

Ethics charter as a guideline

On 10 November 2009, the GDF SUEZ Board of

Directors approved the Group’s Ethics charter. In

line with this charter, Electrabel requires its com-

mercial partners, sub-contractors and suppliers to

impose their own ethical rules, in regard to both

sustainable development and social responsibility,

as well as to respecting practices which are com-

patible with the company’s values.

In 2009, 73% of the new Corporate sales contracts

and 76% of the new Generation sales contracts

included an Ethics & Sustainable Development

clause recording these conditions. As from April

2010, all new or to be renewed Corporate and Gen-

eration contracts, for now with the exception of fuel

purchasing, include this clause as standard. Suppli-

ers will be able to peruse procurement conditions

on the website www.electrabel.be/suppliers.

In practice, suppliers have to observe the following

principles:

• regulatory compliance regarding safety, employee

well-being and child protection;

• a pledge to avoid any form of discrimination with-

in their company or toward sub-contractors and

to avoid corruption in any form;

• respect for the environment in product design,

manufacture, use, and disposal or recycling.

The Ethics charter can be consulted and

down loaded on www.gdfsuez.com.


ETHICS CHARTER


VERTROUWEN OP

VERWORVEN KENNIS

LOREM IPSUM 70 % Itas aut hillandit et rerlendis

Aliqui am faciliq uidebi

offi cipit eolps modis....

EVALUATING THE RESULTS


05

• 100 power stations

• 100 environmental and

social indicators

• 20% of indicators certifi ed

• 80 GRI codes


05.EVALUATING THE RESULTS

Scope and methodology

This part of the report provides general explanatory

notes on the method of calculation of the indica-

tors. In some cases, the tables of environmental

and social indicators (refer to pg. 57-60) provide ad-

ditional information.

1. The indicators that appear in this report concern

Electrabel’s activities in Belgium, except for cer-

tain information regarding GDF SUEZ Group (see

p. 6), GDF SUEZ Energy Benelux & Germany

business area (see p. 56) and Electrabel in the

Benelux (see p.7).

2. The key fi gures on the GDF SUEZ Group (refer to

pg. 6) were taken from the Group’s offi cial annual

reports. Other external data sources are men-

tioned in the text.

3. Several environmental indicators that are part of

the Together for less CO2 plan were validated by

an external organisation, Vinçotte. They are cited

in the environmental indicators table (refer to pg.

57) by the symbol .

4. The calculation method used for many of the

indicators included in this report is laid down

in the manuals of the sustainable development

plan Together for less CO2 and of the Produc-

tion’s Global Environmental Plan. Figures were

also extracted from the CERIS (environment) and

SMART (social) databases which were developed

for reporting at the GDF SUEZ Group level.

5. SPE’s shares (10.19% in the Doel 3, Doel 4,

Tihange 2 and Tihange 3 nuclear power stations),

EDF (50% in nuclear power station Tihange 1)

and RWE (50% in Zandvliet Power CCGT power

station) were deducted from the reported values

of the capacity of the power stations and the pro-

duction park (refer to table pg. 54 for a summary

of the power stations that comprise the produc-

tion park). For the production park capacity of the

GDF SUEZ Energy Benelux & Germany business

area (refer to pg. 56), it also applies to the shares

of Stadtwerke Gera, Wuppertaler Stadtwerke and

FFG in a number of power stations in Germany.

6. The capacity and production of the Gembloux

and Perwez wind turbine parks, managed by Air

Energy and in which Electrabel has a share of

50% and 25% respectively, are completely cov-

ered by the production park statistics because

Electrabel commercialises the entire production.

7. The total electricity production of the park is cal-

culated in the same way as the capacity (refer

to points 5 and 6) and is expressed in net pro-

duction. For the power stations that were closed

down in 2009 (Amercoeur 2, Langerbrugge 20) or

sold (Langerlo, Vilvoorde), production is included

up to the moment of closure or of the sale.

8. The consumption of primary fuels and electricity

by the generating facilities is calculated at 100%

for the facilities in their entirety.

9. The calculation of environmental indicators

takes into account the performance of the CCGT

power stations, the combined heat and power

units Langerbrugge, Lanxess and Solvay, the

conventional power stations, gas turbines, turbo-

jets, nuclear power stations (at 100%), the Coo

pumped storage power plant (see also point 11),

hydroelectric power stations, wind farms and

solar panels (see table pg. 54). The environmental

effects of Zandvliet Power CCGT power station

were only included at a rate of 50%, equal to the

share Electrabel has in the subsidiary Zandvliet

Power which is consolidated by proportional

integration.


10. The CO2, SO2, NOx and dust emissions and

the corresponding electricity production of the

Langerlo and Vilvoorde power stations that were

transferred to E.ON at the beginning of Novem-

ber, were included in the statistics for the period

up to the transfer (January - October). However,

the months of November and December are

included in the other environmental indicators,

given the limited infl uence they have on the total

result.

11. The specifi c emissions (the emission quantity

per kilowatt-hour) and the yield of the fossil fuel

stoked production park are expressed based

on the fi nal net production. The production of

the Coo pumped storage power station is not

included in the calculation of the specifi c emis-

sions.

12. The calculation of the effi ciency and specifi c

emissions of the fossil fuel-fi red generating fa-

cilities, takes into account the biomass combus-

tion in conventional power stations.

13. The values of the specifi c emissions and the

yields for the years 2008 and 2007, as published

in the 2008 and 2007 Activities reports, were re-

calculated based on the fi nal net production to

reach a basis comparable with the year 2009.

14. The share of generation covered by a certifi ed

environmental management system is calculat-

ed based upon the perimeter applied by CERIS

(see point 4).

15. The details on staff numbers refl ect the situation

at the end of the calendar year. They comprise

the full count of staff in the subsidiaries that

are fully and proportionally consolidated in the

accounting. All fi gures relating to staff are ex-

pressed in nominative fi gures in active service.

Electrabel used as best as possible the

Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainabil-

ity reporting guidelines for the preparation

of this Activities and Sustainable Develop-

ment Report.

With a view to providing transparency for its

stakeholders, Electrabel wanted to draw up

its fi rst activities and sustainable develop-

ment report as part of a continuous improve-

ment approach – the fi nal objective being to

submit the report for external certifi cation as

of the 2010 fi scal year. An important step has

already been undertaken in this activities

and sustainable development report, plac-

ing Ernst & Young Réviseurs d’Entreprises

SCCRL (EY) in charge of examining the com-

pliance of the report drafted by Electrabel

with Global Reporting Initiative guidelines.

EY’s work represents neither an audit nor a

limited review. Moreover, Electrabel also

insisted on submitting a number of its envi-

ronmental indicators for external review by

the company AIB Vinçotte (the indicators

that were verifi ed are marked with a in

the indicators table – pages 57-59).

Based upon the discussions with EY, the

company is of the opinion that the report

complies with the GRI application level C

(www.globalreporting.org/GRIReports/

ApplicationLevels/).


Generating facilities in Belgium at end 2009

Power stations in service at end 2009

Power station Main fuels Net generating capacity in MW

Combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) 1 888

Amercoeur ng 420

Drogenbos ng 460

Herdersbrug ng 460

Saint-Ghislain ng 350

Zandvliet Power (1) ng 197.5

Combined heat and power (CHP) 735

BP Chembel(2) ng 43

Degussa(2) ng 43

Fluxys(2) ng 40

Ineos Phenol(2) ng 22.8

Langerbrugge ng 37

Lanxess Bayer(2) ng 43

Lanxess Rubber(2) ng 58

Monsanto(2) ng 43

Sappi(2) ng 43

Solvay(2) ng 94

Syral(2) ng 48

Total Raffi naderij Antwerpen(2) ng 154

Oudegem Papier(2) ng 14.5

Gas engines(10) ng, bm 52.2

Conventional thermal 2 861

Awirs(8) ng, bm 374

Kallo ng 522

Knippegroen (Sidmar) bfg 305

Mol(9) c 255

Rodenhuize bfg, c, bm 526

Ruien(3) ng, c, bm 879


Gas turbine 108

Drogenbos ng 78

Mol ng 30

Turbojet 210

Aalter ke 18

Beerse ke 32

Buda ke 18

Cierreux ke 17

Deux-Acren ke 18

Ixelles ke 18

Noordschote ke 18

Turon ke 17

Zedelgem ke 18

Zeebrugge ke 18

Zelzate ke 18

Energy recovery 76

Brussels Energy 45

Indaver (Beveren) 20

Isvag (Wilrijk) 10.5

Nuclear power station 4 502

Doel 1 392.5

Doel 2 433

Doel 3(4) 903.5

Doel 4(4) 940.1

Tihange 1(5) 481

Tihange 2(4) 905.3

Tihange 3(4) 946.4

Drawing rights E.ON -500

05 EVALUATING THE RESULTS



Pumped storage power station 1 307

Coo I 474

Coo Il 690

Plate Taille(6) 143

Hydroelectric power station 21.8

Bardonwez 0.035

Bévercé 9.2

Bütgenbach 1.8

Cierreux 0.1

Coo-diversion 0.4

Heid-de-Goreux 8.1

La Vierre 1.9

Lorcé 0.1

Orval 0.05

Stavelot 0.12

Wind farm 109

BASF 12

Büllingen 12

Bütgenbach 8

Celanese Lanaken 8

Dour 10

Ford Genk 4

Gembloux Sombreffe(7) 9

Hoogstraten 12

Izegem 4

Kasterlee 0.66

Pathoekeweg 3

Perwez(7) 7.5

Rodenhuize 4

Schelle 4.5

Volvo Trucks Gent 6

Wondelgem 4


Photovoltaic panels 4.4

Beaulieu (Kruishoutem) 1.08

De Post 0.50

Delhaize (Zellik) 0.44

Delta Light 0.42

Honda (Alost) 0.89

KU Leuven 0.07

Sanac 0.1

Sioen (Ardooie) 0.22

Van de Velde 0.09

Volvo Trucks Gent 0.52

Westerlo Kamp C 0.02

Total 11 821

(1) without share of RWE (50%); functions as a CHP-unit(2) industrial partnership (3) including gas turbines repowering(4) without share of SPE (10.1927%)(5) without share of EDF (50%)(6) agreement with the MET (7) joint venture with Air Energy(8) unit Awirs 4 (80 MW) running on 100% biomass(9) including unit Mol 11 (124 MW) in conservation(10) including dump gas recovery

Fuels bfg gas from blast furnaces bm biomass c coal ke keroseneng natural gas

EVALUATING THE RESULTS 05


Changes in the production park

in 2009

Nuclear power stations

Doel 4: +38.8 MW (extension capacity)

Tihange 3: +38.8 MW (extension capacity)

Third parties’ share: -258 MW

(extension of SPE share)

Drawing right: -500 MW (swap E.ON)

Combined cycle gas turbine

Vilvoorde: -385 MW (swap E.ON)

Conventional power stations

Knippegroen: +305 MW (new)

Langerlo: -602 MW (swap E.ON)

Amercoeur 2: -127 MW (out of service)

Combined heat and power

Lanxess Rubber: +58 MW (new)

Spanolux: -9.7 MW (reduction capacity)

Wind farms

Ford Genk: +4 MW (new)

Dour: +4 MW (extension)

Photovoltaic

Nine sites: +3.4 MW (new)

Key fi gures of the GDF SUEZ Energy Benelux & Germany business area (year 2009)

Belgium The Netherlands

Luxembourg Benelux Germany Outside the area

Total business

area

Employees 7 447 1 264 21 8 732 1 554 - 10 286

Million customers electricity*

3.64** 0.24 - 3.88 0.20 - 4.08

Million customers natural gas*

1.92** 0.23 - 2.15 0.08 - 2.23

TWh sales of electricity

68.9 21.5 3.7 94.1 11.5 13.0 118.6

TWh sales of natural gas

55.8 16.7 0.04 72.5 2.8 0.5 75.8

MW generating capacity

11 821 4 068 376 16 265 1 977 - 18 242

MW renewable energy

419 71 - 490 15 - 505

* supply points ** Luxembourg included


Power stations under

construction at end 2009

Nuclear power stations

Doel 1 (+40.5 MW)

Combined heat and power

Lillo Degussa (Evonik)

(21 MW; share Electrabel)

Wind farms

Leuze-en-Hainaut (8 MW)

Volvo Cars Gent (6 MW)

Quévy (6 MW)

Zeebrugge (4 MW)

Photovoltaic

Eke-Nazareth Zonnehoeve

(0.2 MW)

Biomass units in

service at end 2009

Awirs: 80 MW

Mol: 12 MW

Rodenhuize: 99 MW

Ruien: 80.9 MW

Gas engines: 12.5 MW

Total: 284.4 MW


Environmental indicators (Electrabel in Belgium)

Audit Indicator Unit 2009 2008 2007 Plan CO2 Page Comment

Part of generation covered by an EMS

% 92.9 87.7 82.1 eng’t #3 25 ISO 14001 system; fi nal net; perimeter CERIS

Investment in effi ciency improvement

€ million 190.7 209.7 - eng’t #2 22 Fossil-fuelled power stations

Capacity of generating facilities

MW 11 821 13 273 12 887 16 Net installed capacity

Capacity renewable energy

MW 419 464 403 eng’t #1 21 Wind, hydroelectric, biomass, photovoltaic

Part of renewable energy in total capacity

% 3.55 3.49 3.13 20 Wind, hydroelectric, biomass, photovoltaic

Production heat GWh 5 335 6 254 6 419 16 Sales

Production electricity GWh 66 032 65 040 69 943 16 Net electricity production

Electricity generation from renewable energy sources

GWh 1 831 1 859 1 407 eng’t #1 20 Wind, hydroelectric, biomass, photovoltaic; fi nal net

Part of wind % 10.4 7.9 8.2

Part of hydroelectric % 3.2 3.95 5.3

Part of biomass % 86.3 88.1 86.5

Part of photovoltaic % 0.1 0.05 -

Part of renewable energy in total generation

% 2.77 2.86 2.01 17 Wind, hydroelectric, biomass, photovoltaic; net

Electricity generation from renewable energy sources

1 000 house-holds

523 531 402 eng’t #1 20 Yearly consumption of 3 500 kWh per household

Primary energy consumption

GJ million 234 212 237 16 At 100%

Part of natural gas % 67 60 60

Part of coal % 21 24 26

Part of biomass % 8 8 5

Part of other fuels % 4 8 9 Oil, kerosene, blast furnace gas, waste

Electricity consumption by the generating facilities

GWh 5 318 5 112 5 289 Difference between gross and fi nal net generation; at 100%

Part of pumped storage power stations

% 36 35 33

Quantity compared to total production

% 6.8 6.9 6.7 Gross production

Effi ciency of the fossil- fuelled production park

% 42.6 42.0 41.6 eng’t #2 23 Only electricity generation; biomass included; fi nal net

CO2 emissions kilotonnes 13 692 13 788 16 044 eng’t #1 & 2




Specifi c CO2 emissions (fossil)

g/kWh 604 663 692 eng’t #2 23 Fossil-fuelled power stations; biomass included; fi nal net

Specifi c CO2 emissions (total)

g/kWh 202 215 232 eng’t #2 23 Idem + nuclear power stations and renewable energy; fi nal net

Reduction of CO2 emissions by the generating facilities

kilotonnes 2 048 652 - eng’t #1 & 2

24 Reduction compared to 2007, calculated for an equivalent electricity production

Reduction of CO2 emis-sions by the personnel

% 12.3 4.7 - eng’t #9 41 Emissions from daily activities (excluded production) comp. to 2007

Reduction of CO2 emis-sions by the personnel

tonnes 5 262 2 023 - eng’t #9 41 Emissions from daily activities (excluded production) comp. to 2007

Buildings tonnes 560 153 -

Mobility tonnes 4 327 1 844 -

Purchases tonnes 375 26 - Paper use

CH4 emissions tonnes 383 261 279

N2O emissions tonnes 135 110 120

SO2 emissions tonnes 3 757 7 163 17 784 eng’t #3

Specifi c SO2 emissions (fossil)

mg/kWh 166 344 767 eng’t #3 26 Fossil-fuelled power stations; biomass included; fi nal net

Specifi c SO2 emissions (total)

mg/kWh 55 111 257 eng’t #3 26 Idem + nuclear power stations and renewable energy; fi nal net

NOx emissions tonnes 9 367 9 899 17 216 eng’t #3

Specifi c NOx emissions (fossil)


Specifi c NOx emissions (total)

mg/kWh 138 154 249 eng’t #3 26 Idem + nuclear power stations and renewable energy; fi nal net

Dust emissions tonnes 449 426 834 eng’t #3

Specifi c dust emissions (fossil)


Specifi c dust emissions (total)

mg/kWh 6.6 6.6 12.1 eng’t #3 26 Idem + nuclear power stations and renewable energy; fi nal net

Heavy metals emissions tonnes 1.26 1.90 4.38 As, Be, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Tl, V, Zn

Chlorides emissions tonnes 125.4 196 268

Fluorides emissions tonnes 53.6 79 156

Water consumption for industrial processes

million m3 3.93 3.58 3.55

Water consumption for cooling

million m3 109.4 105.7 114.1 Evaporated quantity

Production of industrial waste

tonnes 30 159 35 834 77 799 Depends on demolition work and site clean-up

Valorisation of industrial waste

tonnes 16 696 11 325 45 157 eng’t #3 25




Production of by-products kilotonnes 364 400 412 Fly ash, bottom ash, gypsum

Fly ash kilotonnes 253 278 302 By-product of coal combustion

Bottom ash kilotonnes 45 50 49 By-product of coal combustion

Gypsum kilotonnes 66 72 60 By-product of fl ue gas desulphurisation; Langerlo, Ruien

Valorisation of by-products

kilotonnes 361 395 409 eng’t #3 25 Fly ash, bottom ash, gypsum

Radioactive discharges 20 Total Doel and Tihange nuclear power stations

Beta-gamma GBq 12.4 26.5 24.3 Annual limits: Doel: 1 480 GBq; Tihange: 888 GBq

Tritium TBq 108.4 77.3 110.8 Annual limits: Doel: 103.6 TBq; Tihange: 147.6 TBq

Aerosols GBq 0.0102 0.012 0.0144 Annual limits: Doel: 148 GBq; Tihange: 111 GBq

Iodine GBq 0.0984 0.0874 0.163 Annual limits: Doel: 14.8 GBq; Tihange: 14.8 GBq

Rare gases TBq 12.5 28.8 33.5 Annual limits: Doel: 2 960 TBq; Tihange: 2 220 TBq

Production radioactive waste

m3 292 282 272 20 Low- and medium-level conditioned waste; total Doel and Tihange

Customers

Green electricity contracts 1 000 contracts

354 101.5 11.5 eng’t #6 36 GreenPlus and Professional Green; retail customers

Sales of green electricity TWh 3.2 2.3 0.7 eng’t #6 36 AlpEnergie; business customers

New natural gas connections

1 000 connections

41.0 49.3 - eng’t #5 36 New connections and switches; residential customers

New capacity with low CO2 emissions

MW 15.2 26.8 - eng’t #5 36 Renewable energy and CHP; at customers’ sites

Corporate contracts including an Ethics &

Sustainable Development clause

% 73 - - 49 Part of total new corporate contracts

Generation contracts including an Ethics &

Sustainable Development clause

% 76 - - 49 Part of total new generation contracts


eng’t: engagement



Staff number head-counts

7 447 7 548 9 057 45 Active service; subsidiaries included

Managers 2 270 2 195 2 029

Executives 5 177 5 353 7 028

Men 4 990 5 134 6 353

Women 2 457 2 414 2 704

Women % 33.0 32.0 29.9

Permanent contract 7 104 7 121 8 359

Fixed-term contract 343 427 698 Integration contracts included

Recruitments head-counts

893 1 648 489 45 Subsidiaries included

Permanent contract 656 1 241 358

Fixed-term contract 237 407 131

Age structure of staff head-counts

45 Active service; permanent contract; subsidiaries included

>55 years 702 676 936

50-54 years 832 823 1 119

45-49 years 890 948 1 170

40-44 years 842 884 1 123

35-39 years 787 833 1 028

30-34 years 999 883 918

25-29 years 1 536 1 458 1 372

<25 years 516 616 693

Training thousand hours

561 631 415 45

Work accidents 46 Subsidiaries not included

Frequency rate (Fr) see page 46

2.36 2.70 3.91

Severity rate (Sr) see page 46

0.07 0.05 0.08


Social indicators (Electrabel in Belgium)



GRI reference table

The GRI reference table indicates where the standard com-

ponents of the information (strategy; organisational profi le;

report parameters; governance, commitments and engage-

ment; management approach and performance indicators) are

used in this report. The GRI indicators that are not included

− the full reference table can be downloaded from the GRI

website www.globalreporting.org/Home − are the subject of

an investigation into their relevance and/or the methodology

of data collection in view of possible reporting in future. For

indicators that are reported at GDF SUEZ Group level, please

refer to the corresponding publication.

Ref. DESCRIPTION Page External source

1. STRATEGY AND ANALYSIS

1.1 Statement from the CEO 2

2. ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE

2.1 Name of the organisation 68

2.2 Primary brands, products, and/or services 6, 30, 34-37

2.3 Operational structure of the organisation 6 www.electrabel.com (corp. gov.)

2.4 Location of organisation’s headquarters 68

2.5 Countries where the organisation operates 6, 56

2.6 Nature of ownership and legal form 6, 68 www.electrabel.com (corp. gov.)

2.7 Markets served 6, 56

2.8 Scale of the reporting organisation 9

2.9 Signifi cant changes during the reporting period 8

2.10 Awards received 42

3. REPORT PARAMETERS

3.1 Reporting period 1

3.2 Date of most recent previous report 1

3.3 Reporting cycle 1

3.4 Contact point for questions 68

3.5 Process for defi ning report content 1

3.6 Boundary of the report 1, 52

3.7 State any specifi c limitations on the scope or boundary 52

3.8 Basis for reporting on joint ventures, subsidiaries… 52

3.9 Data measurement techniques and the bases of calculations 52

3.10 Re-statements of information 52



3.11 Signifi cant changes in the scope, boundaries… 8, 52

3.12 Table identifying the location of the disclosures 61

3.13 Seeking external assurance 52, 64, 65

4. GOVERNANCE, COMMITMENTS AND ENGAGEMENT

4.1 Governance structure www.electrabel.com (corp. gov.)

4.2 Function of the Chair of the highest governance body www.electrabel.com (corp. gov.)

4.3 Members that are independent and/or non-executive members www.electrabel.com (corp. gov.)

4.4 Mechanisms for shareholders and employees to provide recommendations DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 127

4.14 List of stakeholder groups engaged RADD 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 78

4.15 Identifi cation and selection of stakeholders RADD 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 78

5. MANAGEMENT APPROACH

ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

EC1 Direct economic value generated and distributed 30 DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 128, 166

EC2 Financial implications and other risks and opportunities due to climate change DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 147

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

EN1 PCB transformers 25

EN3 Direct energy consumption 16, 57

EN4 Indirect energy consumption 41-42

EN5 Energy saved due to effi ciency improvements 22-23, 41-42

EN6 Initiatives to provide energy-effi cient or renewable energy based products and services 20-27, 34-37, 41-44

EN7 Initiatives to reduce indirect energy consumption 41-44

EN8 Water withdrawal by source 58

EN12 Impacts on biodiversity 27

EN13 Habitats restored 27

EN14 Actions for managing impacts on biodiversity 27

EN16 Direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions 23-24, 41-42, 58

EN18 Initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 20-27, 34-37, 41-44

EN20 NOx, SOx, and other emissions 26, 58

EN22 Total weight of waste 58

EN24 Hazardous waste 20, 25

EN26 Mitigate environmental impacts of products and services 25, 27

EN28 Non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations 25, 41

EN29 Environmental impacts of transporting products and members 41-42

LABOUR PRACTICES AND DECENT WORK PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

LA1 Total workforce 45, 60




LA2 Employee turnover 45

LA7 Safety indicators 46, 60

LA10 Hours of training 18, 45, 60

LA13 Breakdown of employees per category according to gender and age group 45, 60

HUMAN RIGHTS PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

HR1 Investment agreements that include human rights clauses 49 DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 115

HR2 Suppliers and contractors that have undergone screening on human rights 49 DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 115

HR8 Security personnel trained in human rights DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 131

SOCIETY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

SO1 Programmes and practices that manage the impacts on communities 40-41

SO4 Actions in response to corruption Ethics charter GDF SUEZ*

SO5 Policy regarding lobbying Ethics charter GDF SUEZ*

PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

PR1 Health and safety impacts of products and services 25

PR3 Product and service information 34-37

PR5 Customer satisfaction 33

ELECTRIC UTILITY SPECIFIC INDICATORS

EU1 Installed capacity broken down by energy source 17

EU2 Energy output broken down by energy source 17

EU3 Number of customers 56

EU5 CO2 emissions allowances DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 303

EU6 Approach to ensure short and long-term electricity availability and reliability 16

EU7 Demand-side management programmes 34-37

EU8 Research and development activity aimed at providing reliable electricity and promoting sustainable development

43-44

EU9 Provisions for decommissioning of nuclear power sites 20

EU10 Planned capacity 56

EU11 Generation effi ciency of thermal plants 22-23

EU14 Programmes and processes to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce 18, 45

EU16 Policies regarding health and safety of employees 18, 46

EU19 Stakeholder participation in the decision making process 40-41, 44

EU21 Emergency management plan 18

EU23 Programmes to improve or maintain access to electricity 31-33, 48 DdR 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 112, 115RADD 2009 GDF SUEZ p. 82

EU30 Average plant availability factor 3, 18


www.electrabel.com (corporate governance)

DdR: Document de Référence - Reference document

RADD: Rapport d’Activité et Développement Durable - Activities and Sustainable Development report

*with Guidelines ‘Ethics in Practice’

The references to the pages of the DdR and RADD concern the French version.

Indicators certifi cate



Green electricity certifi cate



Abbreviations

BNO Brussels Network Operations

CCGT Combined Cycle Gas Turbine

CCS Carbon Capture Storage

CEO Chief Executive Offi cer

CH4 methane

CNG Compressed Natural Gas

CO2 carbon dioxide

CREG Commission for electricity and gas

regulation

DSO Distribution System Operator

EEPR European Economic Plan for Recovery

EMAS Environmental Management and Audit

Scheme

EMS Environmental Management System

ESP Energy Savings Partnership

FIR Preservation fund for birds of prey

FSC Forest Steward Council

GRI Global Reporting Initiative

HV High Voltage

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

INES International Nuclear and Radiological

Event Scale

ISO International Organisation for

Standardisation

N2O nitrous oxide

NOx nitrogen oxides

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

ORES Opérateur des Réseaux Gaz & Électricité

OSART Operational Safety Review Team

PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl

R&I Research and Innovation

RES Renewable Energy Sources

RUE Rational Use of Energy

SD Sustainable Development

SME Small- and Medium-sized Enterprise

SO2 sulphur dioxide

WANO World Association of Nuclear Operators

Units

Bq Becquerel (unit of radioactivity)

GBq gigabecquerel (109 Bq)

TBq terabecquerel (1012 Bq)

J Joule (unit of energy)

MJ megajoule (106 J)

GJ gigajoule (109 J)

PJ petajoule (1015 J)

W Watt (unit of power)

MW megawatt (106 W)

GW gigawatt (109 W)

Wh watt-hour (unit of energy)

kWh kilowatt-hour (103 Wh)

GWh gigawatt-hour (106 Wh)

TWh terawatt-hour (1012 Wh)

1 kWh = 3.6 MJ 1 MJ = 0.278 kWh

Defi nitions

• Specifi c emission: quantity of a substance

emitted per quantity of electricity produced

• Long Term Operation (LTO): a methodology

based on IAEA guidelines and focused on two

fundamental points: managing ageing nuclear

power plant equipment, and the modernisation

of their design

• OSART: an OSART mission is a nuclear power

plant review conducted, at the request of the

authorities, by teams of international experts

from the IAEA. The review focuses on the

safety and reliability of operating the plant. The

practices employed in the plant under review are

compared to the best world-wide practices

• WANO Peer review: the WANO is an

organisation created to improve safety at

nuclear power plants. A Peer review, carried out

at the request of a plant, is conducted by an

international team consisting of experts from

other nuclear power plants. The team compares

the operational performance of the plant in

several key areas against best international

practice through an in-depth, objective review of

its operations

Glossary

GDF SUEZ Group

GDF SUEZ

16-26, rue du Docteur Lancereaux

75008 Paris, France

www.gdfsuez.com

Tel. + 33 1 57 04 00 00

PUBLICATIONS

• Reference document 2009

• Activities and Sustainable

Development Report 2009

• Ethics charter

available in PDF-form on

www.gdfsuez.com

Business area

GDF SUEZ Energy Benelux

& Germany

Belgium

Electrabel

Boulevard du Régent 8

1000 Brussels, Belgium

www.electrabel.be

Tel. + 32 2 518 61 11

The Netherlands

Electrabel Nederland

Dr. Stolteweg 92

8025 AZ Zwolle, the Netherlands

(September 2010: Grote Voort 291

8041 BL Zwolle, the Netherlands)

www.electrabel.nl

[email protected]

Tel. + 31 88 769 29 00

Luxembourg

Twinerg

201, route d’Ehlerange

4108 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg

www.twinerg.lu

[email protected]

Tel. + 35 2 26 55 49 1

Germany

GDF SUEZ Energie Deutschland

Friedrichstraße 200

10017 Berlin, Germany

www.gdfsuez-energie.de

[email protected]

Tel. + 49 30 72 61 53 500

PUBLICATIONS

Sustainable development

Visit www.electrabel.be/sustainable

• Learn everything about

Electrabel’s CO2-plan

• Download the Green Book

Together for less CO2

• Subscribe to the newsletter

Environmental declarations EMAS

Doel nuclear power station

• in Dutch

• in PDF format at

www.electrabel.be

• requests for printed copies:

[email protected]

Tihange nuclear power station

• in French

• in PDF format at

www.electrabel.be

• requests for printed copies:

[email protected]

Information

ETHICS CHARTER


Colophon

This publication was produced by the

Communication department.

The graphic concept and the production were assigned

to The Crew Communication, Brussels (Belgium).

Photographs: Jacques Breuer, Jean-Michel Byl,

Jean-Jacques De Neyer, IPF, Didier Mossiat,

Alain Pierot, David Plas, Shutterstock, Antoine Soto

Picture location cover: Kamp C, Westerlo

Printing: Antilope, Lier (Belgium)

Responsible publisher: Fernand Grifnée,

Boulevard du Régent 8, 1000 Brussels, Belgium

June 2010

D/2010/7.208/2

This publication was printed entirely on paper certifi ed by the Forest Steward Council (FSC). This organisation promotes and

guarantees responsible forest management that aims to be economically attractive, environmentally sustainable and socially

equitable. The paper supplier has obtained ISO 14001 (environment) and OHSAS 18001 (health and safety) certifi cates.

The presses use vegetable ink. Waste paper and cardboard, in addition to used offset plates, are recovered and recycled.

Electrabel S.A.Boulevard du Régent 81000 Brussels, Belgiumwww.electrabel.beTel. + 32 2 518 61 11Fax + 32 2 518 64 00VAT BE 0403.170.701 RPR/RPM Brussels

Ce rapport est également disponible en français.Dit verslag is ook beschikbaar in het Nederlands.download via www.electrabel.berequest a printed copy:• [email protected]• www.electrabel.be• Electrabel

Boulevard du Régent 81000 Brussels, BelgiumTel. + 32 2 518 62 22Fax + 32 2 518 64 00

Questions on this [email protected]


Documents

Electrabel Activities Report 2009