Environmental Management System

We are making efforts to continuously improve the environmental activities by establishing and introducing the environmental management system based on our Company's standard conforming to ISO standard in the whole company since March 2000.

Furthermore, all our thermal power stations and the Onagawa Nuclear Power Station are aiming at the reduction in the environmental impacts by acquiring the certification under the international environmental management standard ISO 14001. In addition, the environmental auditing is conducted by the internal auditors and the periodical inspection (annually) and the renewal inspection (every three years) are undertaken by the external inspection bodies.

The Acquisition Status of ISO 14001 Certification

Environmental Management in Thermal and Nuclear Power Stations

Each thermal and nuclear power station has established the environmental management regime for which each deputy superintendent acts as the "environmental management (EM) manager" under the top management of respective superintendent. Furthermore, each station is making efforts to carry out the environmental management under ISO 14001 and reduce the environmental impacts by working out the environmental policy as well as establishing the "Environmental Management Committee" consisting of the EM manager and section manager, where the environmental management plans are worked out, and the status and actual performance of these plans are verified and evaluated.

Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station

Cleaning activity around the power station
(Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station)

Output: 950,000 kW in total (Units 1 and 2)
Main fuel: fuel oil, crude oil and natural gas
ISO 14001 Certification
Registered: February 20, 2001
Renewed: February 20, 2004
Continuous registration of 2004 version approved: March 24, 2006

Sendai Thermal Power Station

Cleaning activity around the power station
(Sendai Thermal Power Station)

Output: 350,000 kW in total
Unit 1: long-term plan suspended (since October 1, 2003)
Unit 2: long-term plan suspended (since March 31, 2005)
Unit 3: decommissioned (on March 31, 2004)
Removal work (on February 1, 2005)

We plan to construct a 446,000-kW high-efficiency combined cycle power plant (Unit 4 of Sendai Thermal Power Station), which uses environment-friendly natural gas as its fuel, at the site where Unit 3 is slated to be removed, to reinforce the competitiveness of our thermal power sources and reduce emissions of CO2, etc. The commercial operation of the plant is scheduled for July 2010.
Main fuel: coal and fuel oil
ISO 14001 Certification
Registered: December 20, 2000
Renewed: February 20, 2004
Continuous registration of 2004 version approved: March 24, 2006

Status of Operation and Main Activities (in FY2005)

Holding of meetings of the Environmental Management Committee (in April, July, October, November, December, February and March)

Implementation of Environmental Auditing, etc. (internal environmental auditing conducted in November, and periodical inspection in accordance with FY2004 version conducted in February).

Prevention of Global Warming
The shortening of startup time of Unit 1 DSS (Daily Startup and Shutdown) of Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station saved about 123,000 kWh (about 54 tons of reduction in CO2 equivalent).

Resource Conservation and Recycling
About 169 tons of fuel oil ash produced by combustion of fuel oil at Unit 1 of Shin-Sendai Thermal Power Station was effectively used as raw materials of cement, etc.
About 109 tons of shells and mud discharged from cooling channels of the power station at the time of periodical inspection were effectively used.

Environmental Communications
In Environmental Awareness Month (June), cleaning activities were conducted around the power stations together with local residents.

Environmental Management by Branch Offices, Customer Services Offices, Engineering Centers, and Other Offices

Our offices and establishments including branch offices, customer services offices, and engineering centers have established their respective environmental management regime for which their respective general manager acts as "chief of overall EM affairs" and their respective deputy general manager acts as "environmental management manager."

Furthermore, they are making efforts toward the continuous improvement of the environmental activities under the guideline of Plan-Do-Check-Action while planning, evaluating and reviewing the actual performance in each environmental committee and at other opportunities about "Energy and Resources Conservation Management Items in Office" for all business offices and "Specific Management Items" of each business office.

Morioka Customer Services Office

Efforts Toward Environmental Activities

• The "Environmental Committee of Morioka Customer Services Office" (chaired by the general manager of Morioka Customer Services Office) develops the basic policy and action plans on its own, and office-wide efforts are made under the guidance of eco leaders assigned by the committee.
• As a handbook for environmental actions to be taken by the employees, the office prepared "Morioka Customer Services Office's Environmental Action Guide" that puts together the rules in the office concerning energy conservation and recycling activities (reduction in the usage of electricity, fuel, water and copy paper, recycled use of office supplies, separation of wastes, etc.) to level out efforts.

Status of Major Activities

• Based on the "Guidelines for Implementation of Plan to Reduce 50% of Wastes of Morioka Customer Services Office by Half," the office satisfactorily reduced its wastes by about 50% from the FY2004 level by means of sorting of non-industrial wastes and thorough recycling of paper, including confidential papers.
• The office periodically issues a mail magazine named "Kankyo no WA!" (network of environmental activities) for the staff members of the office, and makes efforts to convey various internal and external information about environment and to promote environmental communications among the staff members of the office.
• In response to the 20th anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Morioka city and Victoria city of Canada, the office supported "Hanging Baskets" recommended by the municipal government, and hung six flower pots in front of the building of the office. From spring through fall, the staff members of the office took care of them such as watering, and addressed environmental beautification activities.
• The office also participated in "Morioka Welfare Bank" secondhand fan, stove and ski recycling activities in FY2005, which Morioka Customer Services Office has supported over the past 30 years, and gave support and cooperated in civil activities.

Morioka Customer Services Office's Environmental Action Guide

Hanging baskets (Morioka Customer Services Office)

General Education & Training Center

Efforts Toward Environmental Activities

• Under the environmental action plan developed by the General Education & Training Center (in March 2005) on its own, all of the staff members of the center played the roles assigned to respective groups. At the same time, the status of activities was made known and appealed to visitors and trainees, too.
• Holding of the Environmental Committee in April, November and February (chaired by the general manager of the General Education & Training Center).

Status of Major Activities

• The center tries to promote proposals for and PR of power-saving measures such as thinning of fluorescent tubes and production and posting of sticker that says "Diligently Switch On and Off." (Lights in corridors and stairs are switched off during daytime, lights in offices are switched off during lunchtime, lights in training rooms and bed rooms are switched off when they are not used, cooling and heating is set at appropriate temperatures, power-saving functions of PCs are used, office equipment, including print servers, is switched off at closing time, use of elevators is refrained by the 2 UP and 3 DOWN campaign, and hot water supplied to bathroom, main hall and training building is set at appropriate temperatures.)
• The status of monthly electricity usage is widely known by posting it in the office on the first floor and on the bulletin board on the third floor.
• Light clothes are encouraged in summer as an eco style campaign ahead of cool biz from 2002.
• The center conducted the "Country Operation" to collect empty cans and wastes on commuting routes (in September and November).
• While promoting PR activities for recovery of recyclable products such as used paper, the center made graphs showing the amount of wastes collected and expenses paid.
• The center received unnecessary files from other establishments and reused them as files of research materials. Reusable files, etc. were collected at the time of personnel changes and at the change of the fiscal year.
• Corrugated cardboard boxes of personal belongings of trainees and students were collected and reused.

2 UP and 3 DOWN campaign (General Education & Training Center)

Paper collection box (General Education & Training Center)