Environment Briefings

ENA Environment Committee produce a series of Environment Briefings. These provide general information on current environmental issues relevant to the activities of member companies.

Environment Briefing One: Sulphur Hexafluoride (June 2006)

Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is a gas with excellent electrical insulation and other properties, which have led to its widespread use in electrical switchgear and in a number of other industrial applications. However, there is concern over the SF6 that escapes into the atmosphere since it is a potent greenhouse gas.

The Kyoto Protocol to the Climate Change Convention has recognised the need to curb emissions of all greenhouse gases, including SF6. This briefing looks at the uses of SF6, its potential impact on the environment and the implications for the electricity industry. 
 
Environment Briefing Two: Transporting Electricity (July 2006)

The Electricity Act 1989 requires electricity companies both to maintain an efficient and economical system of electricity transmission and supply and to have regard to protecting the environment. Since electricity can be transmitted through overhead lines or underground cables, this briefing looks at the pros and cons of these alternatives.
 
Environment Briefing Three: Noise (August 2006)

Modern technologies ensure that our lives are more comfortable than at any time in the past. However, the cars, aeroplanes, telephones, radios and many other trappings of modern life also emit a lot of noise.

Although complaints about industrial noise have increased substantially, the fastest growing volume of complaints concerned neighbours (particularly their music, dogs and DIY) and aircraft. This briefing looks at the effects of noise pollution and means of controlling it.

Environment Briefing Four: Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) (September 2006)

PCBs are a class of organic man-made chemicals which were used extensively in a wide range of products because they are chemically inert, stable at high temperatures and flame resistant. They accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals and humans via the food chain and toxic effects have been reported in wildlife.

Because PCBs are fire-resistant, they’ve been used widely in electrical equipment as fluids in electrical capacitors and specialised transformers. In the past, they’ve also been used in some wire/cable coatings and in insulation. Using PCBs to make these products is now banned. 
 
Environment Briefing 5: Contaminated Land (July 2007)

All industrialised nations, including the UK, have a legacy of contaminated, i.e. land which has been polluted by past human activities. Many areas are contaminated to varying degrees with naturally occurring material, such as tin, arsenic, cadmium etc Major industries which have been in existence for a number of decades, including the electricity industry, may own or occupy contaminated sites.

This may be of concern if it poses a direct threat to human health, fauna and flora on the site itself or elsewhere due to migration of pollutants, for example through water sources .

This briefing outlines the issues and describes how the UK electricity transmission and distribution industry is dealing with its own legacy of potentially contaminated land.