Horizon Power :: Environmental Management Systems

Horizon Power's EMS

An Environmental Management System (EMS) is a structured process for achieving continual improvement in environmental performance. It is a system set in place to manage environmental impacts, both current and future. The significant environmental issues that Horizon Power addresses through its EMS include atmospheric emissions, fuel transfer and storage, and waste management.

EMISWeb

EMISWeb is Horizon Power's Environmental Management Information System. It is an in-house, intranet based program used for tracking our environmental activities and legal compliance. EMISWeb was built to be compliant to ISO 14001.

EMISWeb is used to manage:

Environmental licences and compliance requirements;
Contaminated Sites;
Environmental Incidents;
Groundwater and Stack emissions monitoring;
Reporting to the National Pollutant Inventory;
Greenhouse Gas reporting; and
Continual improvement.

EMISWeb provides our employees and contractors with:

access to the Horizon Power Environmental Management Plan;
access to important environmental legislation;
information on declared rare flora, threatened ecological communities and other environmentally sensitive areas;
environmental procedures and guidelines;
a forum to submit environmental queries;
identification of high environmental risk areas requiring management and special precaution; and
a history of relevant environmental issues for each site.

Auditing for Continual Improvement

Environmental audits are undertaken periodically by Horizon Power to assess the effectiveness of EMS implementation, conformance with our Environmental Policy and procedures, currency of information, level of environmental performance and degree of alignment with planned objectives and targets.

Audit Objectives

To give clear indications of site environmental performance and direction on necessary environmental improvements.
Verify the quality of EMS and the degree of implementation across Horizon Power .
Ensure Horizon Power's EMS is aligned with the principles of ISO 14001.
Provide a baseline against which Horizon Power can demonstrate continuous improvement in environmental performance.

Environmental Policy

Our Environmental Policy 2006, commits Horizon Power to "working towards a sustainable energy future by providing innovative energy choices".

Environmental Approvals

Horizon Power obtains environmental approvals for projects that have the potential to impact the environment. Advice is sought from the Department of Environment and Conservation as well as other agencies to ensure adequate environmental considerations have been taken into account for the design, construction and operational phases of the project.

Major projects that have the potential to impact the environment undergo a comprehensive community consultation program to ensure community involvement. An environmental management plan is then prepared to address identified environmental issues and impacts, agency and community issues. The plan sets environmental objectives and targets, details project management actions, provides a timeframe for completion and delegates responsibilities for undertaking the work.