Environment
Environmental financial statements
Enviromental costs
Helsingin Energia's environmental protection costs totalled EUR 12.5 million, exceeding the preceding year's level by EUR 1.5 million. The mild weather reduced the use of coal-fired power plants, and thereby also the costs of air pollution control and waste management. On the other hand, the energianeuvoja.fi website launched in co-operation with Motiva and WWF Finland to promote sensible use of energy and energy saving by consumers, caused in 2008 considerable non-recurrent additional expenses. The costs of environmental management and education continued to rise, because climatic challenges increase administrative work as well. At the same time, Helsingin Energia also increases its investment in environmental protection research and development, the costs of which multiplied from the previous year. A significant research project in 2008-2010 is the charting of the present state of Helsinki Metropolitan Area's microparticle sources and the assessment of the impact of climate change abatement measures taken jointly with the Finnish Meteorological Institute and the University of Helsinki. Investments made in recent years in air pollution control, restoration of contaminated land areas, and protection of soil and groundwater are now starting to show as increasing depreciation on environmental costs.
Enviromental investments
Environmental investments totalled EUR 0.8 million. The investment projects included cleanup of contaminated land areas, protection of soil and groundwater, desulphurisation, removal of particles, and analysis and measurement of emissions. Environmental investments also include subscription for a share of ownership in the company Cleen Oy founded for promoting sustainable development in the energy sector.
Enviromental liabilities
The reserves recorded in the financial statements include, as environmental liability, EUR 18.8 million in costs probably to be incurred in the near future from the treatment of contaminated soil in the Hanasaari energy supply area.
Enviromental revenue
Accrued environmental revenue totalled EUR 1.5 million. Most of the revenue (EUR 1.2 million) came from the sale of scrap metal from the demolished Hanasaari A power plant. The voluntary subsidy paid by environmental penny electricity customers for increasing the use of renewable sources of energy is also a large, continuous item of income, at present placed in a fund for an offshore wind farm to be built in the Tahkoluoto sea area off the coast of Pori.
| Financial Statement 2008 - Environmental Costs | 2008 | 2007 | |
| 1000 € | change% | 1000 € | |
| Protection of air, soil and surface waters | |||
| Desulphurisation | 3866 | -5 | 4074 |
| Denitrification | 285 | -24 | 375 |
| Removal of particles | 351 | -10 | 391 |
| Waste management and utilisation of combustion products | 967 | -25 | 1291 |
| Other waste management | 817 | -9 | 897 |
| Monitoring of emissions and environmental impacts | 329 | 13 | 293 |
| Interaction | |||
| Energy-saving advice | 1167 | 156 | 455 |
| Environmental communication and marketing | 306 | 37 | 223 |
| Environmental management and training | 2104 | 46 | 1442 |
| Environmental protection research and development | 714 | 756 | 83 |
| Depreciation of environmental protection investments | 1581 | 9 | 1447 |
| Environmental costs in all | 12486 | 14 | 10971 |
| % of turnover | 1,8 % | 1,8 % | |
| % of all expenses | 2,7 % | 2,7 % | |
| Environmental investments | 799 | 3 | 775 |
| % of all investments | 1,3 % | 1,6 % | |
| Environmental lisabilities | 18800 | 0 | 18800 |
| % of balance sheet total | 1,2 % | 1,2 % | |
| Environmental revenue | 1523 | 86 | 821 |
