Talking Energy Land and biodiversity

• Our Responsibilities
• The Issues
• 2010 Performance
• Act Responsibly
• Customers
• Reliable energy
• Low carbon society
• Environment
• Managing impact
• Climate Change Adaptation
• Water Use
• Non-Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Waste
• Land and biodiversity
• Our people
• Data and Assurance
• GRI Index
• 2009 Performance
• 2008 Performance
• What We're Doing
• How we do business

Environment

Land and biodiversity

Chart Generator

Create your own charts of our performance and see how we're doing

Create a chart

We’re committed to the protection of the environment in which we operate. We recognise our activities can impact on biological diversity and we have a portfolio of programmes in place to minimise these impacts.

Our Biodiversity Statement sets the following objectives in line with the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP). We aim to:

• Carry out site surveys and maintain records of biodiversity assets
• Protect and, where possible, enhance the ecological value of our sites, in particular the habitats and species identified as priorities in the UK BAP
• Implement site-specific BAPs on our larger sites and ensure they’re regularly reviewed
• Consult with local and national conservation agencies
• Educate our employees and contractors in the importance of protecting and enhancing biodiversity
• Contribute to the work of external conservation bodies, for example through providing volunteers, giving support to projects and contributing biological information of particular importance.

All operational generation plant is authorised under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2008, which require assessment against the Habitats Directive. Detailed environmental impact assessments with ecological surveys are associated with proposed developments and also protection of Natura 2000 sites must be considered as part of the planning permission process for all large combustion plant. Planning and operations applications require external consultation with nature conservation stakeholders such as Natural England and non-governmental organisations so as to protect ecological interests.

Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station

Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station has a long-standing commitment to habitat and species conservation, carrying out a lot of biodiversity-related work, including the provision of bird boxes, nature trail, tree planting, hedge laying, wildflower meadow management, maintaining habitat for sandmartins, minimising use of pesticides and herbicides, species surveys, and educating visitors, such as schools.

There are four priority habitats that are managed and protected on site:

• Ancient and/or species-rich hedgerows
• Cereal field margins
• Lowland meadows
• Reed beds

Several species present on site are UK Biodiversity Action Plan priority species or species of conservation concern in Nottinghamshire. These include:

• Birds - bullfinch, linnet, song thrush, skylark and sandmartins
• Mammals - brown hare, badgers, stoats, weasels
• Insects – dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies
• Plants - cowslip, creeping willow, wild teasel, field scabious, orchids

Practical conservation carried out at Ratcliffe includes:

• Hedge laying – to enhance the habitat value of hedgerows
• Pesticides policy – to minimise and control use of pesticides
• Ragwort control – hand pulling and control by cinnabar moths instead of chemicals
• Surveys – bats, breeding birds, badgers, butterflies, BAP update
• New habitats – new wildflower meadow, pond clearance
• Pond clearances, tree planting and other conservation related challenges

Ironbridge Power Station

We surveyed habitats across the main power station site and at Devil’s Dingle, a nature reserve adjacent to the station site, during summer 2010, updating the previous survey completed in 1994. The survey looked at both the extent and quality of habitats. At Ironbridge there are habitats of both national and local importance. Bird monitoring at Devil’s Dingle over the last 12 months has built up a comprehensive picture of the birds that breed on the site. Seven red list species (those of the highest conservation concern), including skylark and lapwing, bred on the site along with 13 species from the amber list. With the help of a local butterfly expert, we’ve been recording butterflies at Devil’s Dingle for three years. Research shows that it’s an important site for the dingy skipper (a UK BAP species) and for small heath. In contrast with the surrounding agricultural landscape and the urban conurbation of Telford, Devil’s Dingle represents an important area of the semi-natural habitat these butterflies need.