01/2019 hochprocentig - hpc.ag€¦ · its membership of aws, hpc is directly involved in the...
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HochProCentig The HPC AG Magazine
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Cuba converting sugar into electricity!Sweet power in the Caribbean
Remediation project in PortovesmeSoil and water of national interest
Can Environmental Risks be insured?ACE, a global Insurance Player
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Editorial
EditorialHPC Global: megalo-mania or sustaining our existence?HPC AG is 71 years old. It has spent almost half its life earning money from planning regional infrastructure pro-jects. As environmental ideas took hold in society, we began in the 70s to offer our services in the field of land recycling mainly to industrial clients. If our experts are physically close to the contaminated premises, this influen-ces the costs for our customers, and their familiarity with the local condi-tions is a quality feature. We therefore established a network of 30 locations in Germany.
German companies also have loca-tions abroad. Since the 90s, we have also been establishing a presence in the strong countries in Europe. We support our German customers in Eu-rope with experts on the spot who spe-ak the local language and are familiar with the local situation and regulatory systems in the countries concerned. At the same time, we are building up an additional customer base on the spot. We are of course happy to accompany them if they decide to cross their natio-nal borders. Today, we operate from a total of 43 locations in seven European countries under the name HPC.
But is that enough? How do we ser-ve our customers in the USA, Brazil,
China, India or Australia? We are far too poor to build up a presence in all those countries to enable us to work inexpensively, but still with the right quality awareness. Following the ex-ample of Lufthansa’s Star Alliance, HPC founded the Inogen Environmen-tal Alliance in 2001 together with one British and one American consultant. Today, the network consists of 74 As-sociates, who operate round the globe with 6,100 consultants in 170 bureaux. We all use the same Inogen logo. Not because we “have to”, but because we “want to”. The main project directors at the Associates know each other. Tho-se in positions of responsibility at Ino-gen meet twice a year for an update and to develop joint programmes. On behalf of our US or China Associates, for example, HPC draws up Compli-ance Audits or Due Diligence reports in Europe. And our European custo-mers commission HPC to obtain site investigations on the Philippines or in Mexico.
We shall handle the projects in accor-dance with their requirements and in the language they wish, together with our partners, and remain their contact throughout. Why not try it out?
█ Andreas Kopton █ [email protected]
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3 HochProCentig 1/2019
In this edition
In this edition
2 Editorial
4 Corporate News HPC AG Alliance for Water StewardshipSuccessful 14th Bavarian Water ConferenceBreakfast with the mayors
6 Large-scale mulit-site soil pollution assess-ments in France: Adressing the challenge of consistency throughout the countryThe team matters!
7 Cuba converting sugar into electricity!Sweet power in the Caribbean
10 Remediation project in Portovesme, SardiniaSoil and water of national interest
12 The historic Wagenknecht House in DonauwörthWhen there is no elbow room for building work
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Can environmental risks be insured?ACE, a global Insurance Player
Informing and involving stakeholders enhances corporate performanceHPC Italia adds sustainability to its consulting ser-vices
16 HPC Internal• New Assignments• Imprint
P. 7: Active sugar cane factory Antonio Sanchez
P. 11: Groundwater treatment plant
P. 5: HPC at Bavarian Water Conference
P. 14: Val d´Agri Landscape
Corporate News
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Alliance for Water Stewardship
As of this year, HPC AG is the first German company to have become a member of the Alliance for Water Ste-wardship (AWS), with two trained AWS experts (Florian Schnetzer, Dirk Münstermann).
AWS is an independent institution (NGO) with its headquarters in Scot-land which uses a predefined standard to investigate and assess enterprises with respect to their sustainable hand-ling of water as a resource, both in-house and in the environment. Compa-nies can have themselves certified and thus demonstrate that they have a func-tioning water management system, that they deal carefully with water and was-
te water and do not impose a burden either on the environment or on other users in the vicinity.
Since 2013, HPC has already prepa-red more than 40 companies for Wa-ter Stewardship certification. Thanks to its membership of AWS, HPC is directly involved in the developments and can communicate this to the customers im-mediately. In addition, HPC is aiming to achieve a global leadership position as an AWS Expert.
Dirk Münstermann and Dr. Florian Schnetzer will be happy to provide you with further information.
█ Dirk Münstermann █ [email protected]
Stay tuned on our Social Media!
Social Media
ITVA 2019
HPC is in!
Aschaffenburg, Germany
May 15 - 16, 2019
█ Florian Schnetzer █ [email protected]
ExpoReal 2019
We are represented again this year!
Munich, Germany
October 07 - 09, 2019
Corporate News
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Successful 14th Bavarian Water Conference in Augsburg Nov. 14-15, 2018
The KUMAS e. V. development associ-ation, in collaboration with its partners Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH, HPC AG, MVV Industriepark Gerstho-fen GmbH and the Bavarian State Of-fice for the Environment (LfU), organi-sed the Bavarian Water Conference for the 14th time in succession. The Ma-naging Director Thomas Nieborowsky was able to welcome 180 participants to Augsburg for the occasion.
The 15th Bavarian Water Conference will again be held in the familiar form in the Bavarian State Office for the En-vironment in Augsburg on 6th and 7th November, 2019
fig. 1: Booth of HPC
Breakfast with the mayors
On 31st January this year, the mayors of the surrounding villages were invi-ted to our site in Harburg for a mayors’ breakfast. The purpose of the occasi-on was to inform them about the sub-ject of heavy rainfall in the local area, which is (unfortunately) a highly topi-cal issue. The background was the ef-forts being undertaken by the federal and regional authorities to adopt more precautionary measures in the event of flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Sta-te subsidies are currently being offered in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, but also in other states of Germany, to promote integrated concepts to minimi-se risks. These studies aim to obtain a comprehensive picture of the problem of heavy rainfall. In the course of these investigations, it has been shown how roads suddenly become preferred flow paths, passages where the dimensions planned are too small cause backwa-ter to build up, or road embankments direct the water into totally different
areas. The catchment area, land use and the existing sewers are also con-sidered in this concept. Comprehensi-ve flow models simulate a downpour, and the community affected can then draw up a plan of action, which inclu-des organisational steps and structural measures.
22 participants accepted the invitati-on to the mayors’ breakfast in Harburg, where they received information on the subject in the form of presentations by Prof. Günthert and HPC staff.
█ Christian Blothe █ [email protected]
fig. 2: Harburg Castle
fig. 1: Breakfast with the mayors
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Large-scale multi-sites soil pollution assessments in France: Addressing the challenge of consistency throughout the countryThe team matters!
As part of a project to sell a large port-folio of brownfield sites, and in the fra-mework of a "due diligence" process for a block sale of the sites (which me-ans that all the sites are being sold at the same time and to the same buyer), our French subsidiary HPC Envirotec recently performed, on behalf of the seller, a series of underground polluti-on assessments on a bundle of sites. The whole set of assessments was constitutive of one big project.
Some figures
To get an idea of the dimension of the game, the portfolio contained 85 sites, and the services to deliver included the performance, for each of the aforesaid sites, of: historical and documentary studies (to get an overview of the sta-kes and identify potential areas of risk of past pollution), site visits, intrusive soil investigation (including collection of samples of diverse media: soil, soil gases, groundwater, tap water, ambi-ent air), possibly subsequent additional investigations, and the delivery of re-ports for each of the sites. Everything was to be conducted within an overall timeframe of 8 months, thus creating the need for the site investigations to be performed by several teams in pa-rallel over a few months.
The site investigations conducted un-der this contract represented, for field-work only (not accounting the effort of office engineering): more than 200 days of work on sites, including the col-lection of more than 450 soil samples, within approx. 4 months.
The bigger challenge
However, in such contexts and beyond symbolic figures, the greater part of the challenge does not lie in the number of soil bores drilled or days spent on site within a short timeframe. Where the
bigger challenge to address lies is in organizational aspects and, more par-ticularly, in the capacity to set up a per-fectly consistent and operative team, spread over various offices all over the territory.
Dealing with 85 sites as a coherent and common ensemble is effectively quite different from coping with them separa-tely, on a case-by-case basis, for vari-ous interlocutors.
First, common standards have to be established in order to meet the client’s needs. Block sales can effectively fea-ture many specific and extra needs as compared to classic processes. In this case, tailor-made reports were reques-ted, including various requirements to fulfil in terms of presentation or cont-ent of the reports (particular and speci-fic report layout, presence of particular sections, use of some specific wording, guidelines for conclusions …). These particularities were driven by the need for the client to meet specific commit-ments that he had taken as the seller, through the contractual terms of the sale (mostly in terms of the provision of systematic information on certain pur-poseful topics for the buyer, at his ex-press request).
Second, and in addition to these com-mon standards, a consistent and de-dicated team has to be defined and trained. Any new development, re-quest, change or new guidelines indi-cated by the customer during the time of completing the contract needs to be immediately spread to the entire team and forwarded to all sites, thus avoi-ding the client’s having to repeat inst-ructions to various people.
Third, strong and formal communicati-on processes must be established with the client, including efficient tools for compiling and summarizing informa-tion at portfolio level, and setting up a unique channel of communication. This
aspect, also fundamental, aims at avoi-ding a permanent stream of informati-on on all sites, with duplicates crossing unchecked, which would tend to rapid-ly saturate the client with unmanaged data.
Last but not least, with such portfo-lios, these constraints are exacerbated by the fact that the sites are located all around the national territory. This spe-cificity creates the need to involve se-veral of our local offices and, thus, to build the dedicated project team th-rough resources spread over various places. It presupposes the existence of strong tools and processes for every-day inter-office work, and a deep cul-ture of collaboration.
Winning the challenge
At the end of the period, we were pro-ud to send the last of the 85 reports that made up the project, completely within the deadline set by the client – and this despite the need for some additional steps requiring further investigations, which were initially unplanned when the mission was launched, to be inser-ted within the same timeframe. And the icing on the cake was to receive hearty congratulations from the customer.
It also happens that, at this date, ano-ther contract of the same type, conduc-ted simultaneously for another client, was also on the way to being comple-ted. It had concerned a bundle of 27 si-tes, and had involved, over a period of 12 months, about 475 soil samples, 100 soil gas probes, 40 piezometers nee-ding to be installed to monitor ground-water, 15 samples of surface water, 30 samples of ambient air & tap water, and 30 samples of coatings. Even though this second project was simultaneous to the one previously described, we also met this challenge successfully and, in the same way, received congra-tulations from the customer.
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The fact that we are capable of deliver-ing a common service over several dis-tant locations, maintaining a high level of service and true uniformity and con-sistency, is often recognized by HPC customers. They manifest their trust by regularly commissioning us for stu-dies related to large-scale portfolios of sites. At the date of publication of this article, the customer with the 85-site portfolio has commissioned us again for a new project of a similar type, in-cluding the characterization of 20 si-tes spread over France, with an overall timeframe of 3 months.
HPC believes in strong customer ser-vice and relationships, based on tailor-made solutions and mutual con-fidence. Recognized successes are wins for our clients: they are also strong motivators for our teams. We are hap-py and proud to provide our clients with a high level of service, featuring con-sistency over all countries. For the En-vironment. For the People.
fig. 1: HPC Envirotec technicianoperating a soil drilling machine, during
one of the site assessments
█ Emmanuel de Nanteuil █ [email protected]
Cuba converting sugar into electricity!Sweet power in the CaribbeanGenerating power from renewable re-sources is an important element of sustainable development. For Cuba and many other countries, expanding renewable sources of power is vital for their survival. The geographical and political situation makes Cuba depen-dent on expensive oil imports from Ve-nezuela. In the long term, the country is striving for greater autonomy in its power supplies and is therefore con-centrating on increasing its supply of renewable forms of energy. The plant potential is there, since there is a plen-tiful supply of rain and sun on the Ca-ribbean island.
Agriculture is one of the most import-ant pillars of the Cuban economy. Al-most everyone has heard of the fa-mous Cuban cigars, and the rum or cane sugar from Cuba. For decades, however, agriculture has been in a sta-te of decline. A major role here is play-ed by the sicklebush (Dichrostachys cinerea), which the Cubans call “Ma-rabú” and which is spreading out over large stretches of Cuba, sharply re-ducing the land available for planting sugar cane. Combating this invasive plant species at an early stage was un-fortunately very much neglected in the past. Its rapid advance and the woo-dy structure of the prickly shrub, which can grow as tall as a tree, make it ext-remely difficult to eliminate.
Establishing renewable sources of energy in Cuba is therefore intended to take the agricultural situation into ac-count, which calls for holistic solutions.
Basic strategic study
HPC AG was commissioned by the German Investment and Development Society (DEG) to carry out a strategic study to examine the use of biomass in Cuba. On the technical side, the study was placed in the hands of the experts from the HPC branch in Aachen, who have decades of experience with big municipal and industrial clients in plan-ning and building biogas plants and se-wage farms.
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The strategic study is laying the foun-dation stone for projects to utilise bio-mass in Cuba. The focal points of the study are:
• clarifying the general economic, bu-siness and political conditions in Cuba
• identifying suitable branches of in-dustry and specific projects
• selecting and investigating quali-tatively and quantitatively suitable substrates
• collaborating with suitable technolo-gy providers who can offer an appro-priate technical solution for utilising biomass.
The strategic study was produced in close co-operation with German and Cuban economic and technical speci-alists. On the technical side, the stu-dy was also supported in particular by IKEM, BBH and Mr. Thomas Wittstadt. From Cuba, HPC received assistance from specialists from the Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana (CUJAE), from the Research Institute for Cane Sugar Derivatives (ICIDCA) and the Cuban Sugar Association (AZCUBA).
With hospitality and ingenuity
The research work and project hand-ling were not always easy, because the Cuban infrastructure turned such pro-cedures as exchanging documents, in-spection trips and meetings with part-ners into a challenge. Nevertheless, the Cubans’ ingenuity and hospitali-ty constantly rendered invaluable as-sistance in many cases.
In the course of the investigations for the study, two locations in particu-lar were shortlisted: the sugar facto-ries “Héctor Molina” and “António San-chez”. Linked to those sites there were also distilleries, which were also inclu-ded in the study. Both sites underwent a thorough investigation in the course of inspections.
When sugar cane is processed into cane sugar, large amounts of organic waste are produced, which are either burnt or disposed of in the countryside untreated and unused.
In the course of the study, HPC de-monstrated that both an anaerobic pro-cess (fermentation) and incineration (e.g. fluidised bed) are suitable means of generating energy from the waste flows coming from the sugar factories and distilleries.
Environmentally friendly solution
As compared to incineration, fermen-tation offers the additional benefit that the waste and effluent are disposed of in an environmentally compatible man-ner and the operational safety of the factory is enhanced. Other positive ef-fects are the creation of new jobs, the improvement in the environmental si-tuation and the establishment of a se-cond source of income. Furthermore, the utilisation and subsequent fermen-tation of Marabú can maintain the pro-duction of biogas outside the harvest season and make a major contribution to the utilisation of agricultural land and to combating pests.
A comparative technological exami-nation showed that the Wabio compa-ny’s process offered the most suitable technology.
As the study demonstrates, Cuba has great potential for generating electrici-ty from biomass. The country is waiting for foreign investment. The foundation stones for the legal framework have al-ready been laid.
The next concrete step towards imple-menting the project does, however, in-volve particular challenges. The aim is to implement the project step by step in a number of stages.
In the first stage, a basic business case is to be established, with exports of Marabú from Cuba and the recovery of energy in Europe.
Development in stages
The revenue and potential subsidies from German funds will be used to construct a small plant, which can be housed in a 20-foot container. That will be installed off-grid in Cuba. In this se-cond stage, the technological soluti-on and the conceivable locations will be validated on the basis of practical experience. fig. 1: Production plant
Antonio Sanchez
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In the next stage, the plan is to cons-truct a small plant with a modular de-sign so that it can be expanded in later phases of the project. As experience is gained in each of those planned project phases, empirical values can be collec-ted. This will enhance both the accep-tance and experience with the techno-logy among the Cubans and the project partners located in Germany. This step-by-step approach will also ensure that the technical and financial feasibili-ty of the entire project can be validated economically and ecologically.
This study is setting the signals at HPC and is forming the basis for bio-mass projects in Cuba and in the regi-on of South and Central America. HPC has shown that it possesses great core competences in handling and coordi-nating technical and strategic projects of an international nature with several stakeholders.
█ Dr. Christoph Olk █ [email protected]
fig. 2: Street picture Havanna
fig. 3: Used old transformer fromSoviet production
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International
Remediation project in Portovesme, Sardinia (Italy) Client: Portovesme S.r.l. (Glencore Group)Soil and water of national interestSince 2011, HPC Italia has been invol-ved in the remediation procedure for a large industrial facility (site surface area: approximately 700,000 m2) loca-ted in South-Western Sardinia.
The industrial facility is operated by Portovesme S.r.l. (Glencore Group) and produces lead, zinc, cadmium and sulfuric acid.
The Portovesme site is included in the “Site of National Interest” called “Sulcis – Iglesiente - Guspinese” and the pu-blic authority driving the remediation procedure is the Italian Ministry of the Environment.
The environmental matrices affected by contamination are soil and ground-water. The contaminants of concern are heavy metals, mainly arsenic, cad-mium, lead, mercury, thallium and zinc.
Risk assessment and Re-mediation Plan for soilIn the period 2011 – 2013 HPC prepa-red the site-specific Risk Assessment (RA, in order to define the remediati-on goals) and the Remediation Plan for the soil matrix of the Portovesme site. The RA and Remediation Plan were based on the results of site characteriz-ation carried out by another consultant in 2006-2007.
The RA was approved by the public au-thorities in 2012 and the Remediation Plan was approved in 2014.
According to the approved Remediati-on Plan, approximately 1,200,000 m3 of soil need to be remediated.
The remediation technologies pro-posed in the Remediation Plan are:
1. Excavation and disposal of appro-ximately 70,000 m3;
2. Capping on areas not yet paved to complete site impermeabilization (approximately 60,000 m2);
3. Soil flushing, for approximately 300,000 m3;
4. Soil washing, for approximately 800,000 m3.
Technologies listed at points 1, 2 and 3 are planned to be applied during the active period of the industrial facility, while soil washing is planned to be car-ried out after the decommissioning of the industrial plants, hopefully in the di-stant future.
Detailed remediation design and field supervision of soil remediation worksIn 2015 HPC began to work on the de-tailed design of the remediation works concerning excavation & disposal and capping.
Considering the major operative limita-tions arising from the need to carry out remediation works inside an active in-dustrial facility, the remediation works cannot be executed all over the site at the same time: the detailed design is therefore being developed by dividing the site into 5 remediation lots.
To date, HPC has completed the de-tailed design of the first 2 lots. The re-mediation works started on the 1st lot at the end of 2016 and on the 2nd lot at the beginning of 2018.
fig. 2: Site map showing investigation points (red dots), unpaved areas (green
shading), contaminated areas (yellow sha-ding) and buildings (brown shading)
fig. 1: Portovesme site
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HPC has been appointed by Portoves-me for a very detailed field supervision and H&S coordination of soil remediati-on: 3 specialist field technicians are al-ways present on site to supervise the remediation contractors appointed by Portovesme for the execution of the re-mediation works. The field technicians are particularly focused on the environ-mental and H&S issues of the remedi-ation works.
In 2019 HPC should prepare the de-tailed design for the 3rd remediation lot.
Soil Flushing vs Soil Was-hing and new approach for soil remediationIn 2015-2016 laboratory tests for the possible application of soil flushing were carried out by the University of Cagliari, as indicated in the Remedia-tion Plan approved by the authorities in 2014.
The results of the laboratory tests show that the field application of soil flushing at the Portovesme site could be very difficult, especially due to the need to lower the pH considerab-ly in order to achieve adequate soil decontamination.
For ths reason, HPC is now evaluating the possibility of implementing a new approach to soil remediation, based on soil washing not only in the distant fu-ture (after the decommissioning of the industrial plants), but also in the near future, substituting off-site disposal and in-situ soil flushing.
A specific feasibility study for this new approach is being executed by HPC: the results should be available in 2019 to be shared with the Client and then with the authorities.
In the meantime, HPC has prepared an update of the Remediation Plan for soil, mainly focused on the definition of new site-specific remediation goals, taking into account new guidelines issued by the National Environmental Protecti-
on Agency. The updated Remediation Plan was approved by the authorities in 2018: according to the new remedi-ation goals, the overall volume of soil to be remediated has decreased from approximately 1,200,000 m3 to approxi-mately 950,000 m3.
Groundwater remediation
Groundwater contamination is mana-ged by Pump & Treat, preliminarily im-plemented before HPC was involved in the Portovesme project.
The University of Cagliari prepared the Remediation Plan for groundwater, which was approved by the public au-thorities in 2015.
HPC, in collaboration with the Universi-ties of Cagliari and Milan, is developing
a groundwater flow model aimed at op-timizing the groundwater pumping sys-tems operating at the site.
The hydrogeologic setting of the site is quite complex: the main aquifer con-sists of a sandy layer, with a depth highly variable over the site surface, with a fractured bedrock at the bottom carrying water to the system.
The total flow rate to be pumped to avoid the migration of contaminants towards the downgradient areas is approximately 40-50 m3/h.
A chemical – physical wastewater tre-atment plant is operating on site under the supervision of an HPC engineer, who is in charge of the technical and operational management of the plant. The water treatment plant was purcha-
fig. 5: Groundwater treatment plant
fig. 3: Areas remediated by soil digging
fig. 4: Areas completed with capping
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The historic Wagenknecht House in DonauwörthWhen there is no elbow room for building workConstructing the new “Engelshof” buil-ding in the historic urban ensemble of the Bavarian county town of Donau-wörth proved extremely difficult. The historic Wagenknecht House and the neighbouring building of the former “Café Engl” were located in the town centre, in Reichsstrasse, Donauwörth’s main shopping street. The town had long been interested in restoring the historic buildings. However, a number of expert opinions, also involving the Office of His-toric Monuments, ultimately confirmed that the historic building substance was beyond rescue. Worse was to come, because it was found that the Wagen-knecht House even constituted a risk to the general public, since the façade had to be declared unsound.
It was no longer possible to restore the Wagenknecht House, which was known to be one of the oldest bourgeois houses in existence. With the consent of the competent authorities and the Govern-ment of Swabia, the building was final-ly dismantled. A problem that arose was not so much the dismantling work itself, right in the middle of Donauwörth’s his-toric urban ensemble, but more the fact that the buildings were packed tightly to-gether, causing difficulties for the logi-stics on the building site in a heavily fre-quented shopping street.
Fortunately, most of the building site lo-gistics could be handled via Sonnen-
strasse at the rear. The building work its-elf was also very restricted because the streets are so narrow there.
Need to change plansAs is so often the case with historic buil-dings, only little was known about the foundations of the neighbouring premi-ses. Only after the dismantling had been completed was it possible to make a de-tailed structural assessment of the sub-soil. The greatest interest here focu-sed on the foundations of the adjacent houses in view of the plans for the new building. The original plans included a two-storey garage beneath the building.
However, upon inspection of the prelimi-nary design and the budget estimate for the building pit, the owner dropped this version for economical reasons, becau-se the excavation support and the steps required to shore up and secure the his-toric neighbouring houses would have been far more complex and expensive than the architect had originally assu-med. The investigations carried out on the subsoil also revealed a consider-able groundwater impact. The under-ground garage would have needed to be constructed so as to be water-tight, which would have increased the costs still further.
In view of these difficulties, the owner in the end decided to dispense with the underground garage and the rear resi-dential building altogether and to loca-te the parking spaces required on the premises at ground level. For this pur-
pose, further revisions and new plans were necessary. Using various specia-list foundation engineering systems, the basement was constructed a substanti-al distance away from the neighbouring buildings. The house next door had to be partially shored up in order to avoid any risk of damage to the building during the construction phase.
Under archaeological supervisionCompared to the original plans, the di-mensions of the building pit were now re-duced considerably. While the building pit was being excavated, the work was under the continuous expert supervision of an archaeologist. Medieval artefacts were constantly being recovered from the historic backfill, which an unpracti-sed eye would probably not have recog-nised for what they were.
While none of the finds on the building site were sensational, they still provi-ded a further piece in the jigsaw puzz-le for reconstructing life in medieval Donauwörth.
The new building on the site of the Wa-genknecht House will be completed in the Autumn of 2019 as the “Engelshof”, modelled on the old façade with the old gable design.
sed by Portovesme before HPC was in-volved in the remediation procedure.
HPC is defining the activities neces-sary to optimize the efficiency of the wastewater treatment plant, including the possibility of implementing a plant upgrade to treat a total flow rate up to 80 m3/h (based on the possibility of tre-ating groundwater pumped from adja-cent contaminated sites).
Remediation cost and HPC contract value
The overall cost of site remediation (soil and groundwater) exceeds 100 M€.
The contract value of the HPC projects for Portovesme is growing year by year, as more and more remediation activi-ties are being implemented.
To date, the contract value of the HPC projects for Portovesme exceeds 4 M€,
most of which was produced in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Remediation works on soil and ground-water should last until 2025-2026, du-ring the active period of the Portoves-me industrial facility. The final part of the remediation works can only be completed after the decommissioning of the industrial plants.
█ Raffaele Pellegatta █ [email protected]
█ Christian Blothe █ [email protected]
█ Stephan Gros █ [email protected]
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Can environmental risks be insured?ACE, a global Insurance Player
Since 2012, HPC has been working very closely with the American consul-tant, HETI (Hydro-Environmental Technologies, Inc.) – a long-time pro-vider of loss control and claim services to Chubb, one of the world's largest en-vironmental liability insurance carri-ers. In 2017, Chubb merged with ACE Insurance, enhancing their standing in the global insurance marketplace. Over the past six-plus years, HPC has handled more than 150 insurance pro-jects in the European Union for HETI/Chubb as well as a number of individu-al projects outside Europe. Our task is usually to conduct an assessment of the environmental situation of sites to enable Chubb to determine whether to provide pollution liability insurance – for pre-existing and/or new environ-mental conditions – helping minimize their exposure to a possible loss.
Our work is often limited to examining the documents submitted by the po-tential policyholder and/or reviewing information available through public records/databases. Increasingly, ho-wever, we are also called upon to assist underwriters with their decision-ma-king through site inspections and loss control recommendations. The range of projects extends from ski lift opera-tors in the Alps, chemical companies, and landfill operators to larger infra-structure projects which involve consi-derable environmental risks during the construction period. This could, for ex-ample, be the leakage of machine oil at the construction site.
Our evaluations always take into ac-count country-specific environmental laws. This can also include checking the required permits for water, was-tewater, waste and air. Cooperation with the European HPC branches in Italy, France, Spain, Poland and Aus-tria is essential. Other countries such as Sweden or Turkey are covered by
our INOGEN partners. Through the cooperation between HPC-HETI and Chubb, it is possible for companies of all kinds to obtain insurance cover for possible environmental liabilities. Not least as a result of climate change, we will be faced with new tasks, as the de-signation of heavy rainfall areas in Ger-many raises new liability issues.
fig. 1: Ski lifts also run on fuel
fig. 4: Landfill building in turkey
fig. 5: Aluminium smelting in Australia
fig. 2: Cement plant in Russia
fig. 3: Infrastructure project
█ Hans-Jürgen Schneider █ [email protected]
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Informing and involving stakeholders enhances corporate performanceHPC Italia adds sustainabili-ty to its consulting servicesCorporate environmental and soci-al responsibility are becoming increa-singly important in today’s global eco-nomy. On the one hand, national and international regulations are increa-singly binding, requiring companies to operate more sustainably. On the other hand, affected communities and citizens, once excluded from decisi-on-making processes, are now raising their voices, demanding sustainable environmental practices and participa-tion in decision making. Such a change is taking place on a global scale and, coupled with climate change, it requi-res that all those actively involved in the economic processes should produce and consume in a more environmental-ly sound manner.
Environmental and social sustainability is not just about abiding by regulations and responding to affected citizens. In-dependent research in the extraction sector, for example, shows that pru-
dent local sustainability investments can be critical to ensuring on-time and on-budget project completion, in additi-on to creating community benefits. In a study of 190 oil and gas projects, over 70% of delays were caused by stake-holder-related sustainability issues, more than commercial or technical fac-tors. Specifically, 33% of these projects were over budget by 25% or more due to unforeseen delays. (IFC, 2018)
For all these reasons, HPC Italy has supplemented its range of environmen-tal services over the last two years, en-gaging in sustainability-oriented pro-jects such as socio-economic impact assessment and stakeholder engage-ment. Thanks to young and capab-le dedicated professionals, the com-pany can now provide its clients with a full range of services that benefit companies, local communities and the environment.
Here is a summary of three recent projects.
Stakeholder engagement for exploration activities in CyprusIn the framework of the ESHIA (En-vironmental, Social, Health Impact As-sessment) process managed on behalf of the Eni oil&gas company for explo-ration activities in Cyprus, HPC Ita-ly developed a stakeholder engage-ment program aimed at identifying the views and opinions of people potential-ly affected and other interested parties. Once the main stakeholders had been classified according to their interests, power and risks that they can bring to the project, HPC Italy organised and conducted 15 meetings with represen-tatives of 17 relevant stakeholders. The requirements and concerns resulting from the meetings have been addres-sed within the ESHIA study. Stakehol-der consultation has been carried out in compliance with Eni’s technical gui-delines and the requirements of Cypri-ot Law 140(I)/2005, which stipulate that the public has to be engaged in all sta-ges of the ESHIA process as well as being informed of the decisions taken.
Stakeholder analysis for a large-scale remediation project
HPC Italy is carrying out a soil and groundwater remediation project at the highly contaminated site of Porto-vesme S.r.l. (Sardinia, Italy), a zinc and lead producerand an Italian subsidiary of Glencore International Plc. In the fra-mework of this project, a stakeholder analysis has been conducted in order
fig. 2: Meeting with stakeholders
fig. 1: Stakeholder matrix
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fig. 4: Val d´Agri Landscape
to provide the client with a better un-derstanding of the local context and to assess the needs of the stakeholders affected. The main goal of the analy-sis was to define the best strategies for managing the grievances raised by the stakeholders regarding the reme-diation and the productive activities of Portovesme S.r.l. Using international-ly recognized standards (IFC), the pro-ject identified the main stakeholders, analyzing their requirements, disposi-tion and “power”. In addition, a stake-holder matrix was drafted to prioritize each stakeholder group according to its power and disposition. Finally, the project led HPC to draft a set of ope-rative recommendations and actions to be implemented by the client in order to meet the stakeholders’ requirements/expectations and to increase the social acceptance of Portovesme S.r.l. by the local community.
Socio-economic analysis associated with Eni oil&gas extraction activities Val D'Agri is a rural area located in Southern Italy, where most of the coun-try’s oil and gas is extracted. Eni, to-gether with other major oil companies, has been active in the area since 1991 and in 2017 retained HPC to design and manage a research project focu-sed on the level of satisfaction of local communities regarding such a potenti-ally high-impact activity. The research also aimed at assessing the opinion of local communities concerning the best development strategies for cre-
ating shared value. Data were gathe-red throughout a socio-economic sur-vey, conducted with a sample of 2500 local residents. The project also inclu-ded a socio-economic baseline analy-sis to contextualize the data collected during the survey. A specific gender fo-cus was applied. The research high-lighted that the local communities were oriented toward the development of tourism and agriculture. Therefore, HPC designed a second survey, aimed at assessing the specific needs of the-se two economic sectors according to the opinion of local entrepreneurs and authorities. Data for this second step were gathered by means of qualitative methods in order to obtain an in-depth perspective.
These projects provided a better un-derstanding of the requirements of local communities, giving precious in-put to our clients and allowing them to streamline plans and activities towards a more sustainable and accepted way to perform. The acceptance of the pro-jects by local communities and gover-nments not only allowed our clients to complete scheduled operations in a timely way, but also helped them to be-come a partner and not just a “guest” of the communities in which they operate.
█ Paola Camisani █ [email protected]
█ Alfredo Cappellini █ [email protected]
fig. 3: Portovesme Plant in Sardinia
HPC Internal
HPC AG - The Engineering Company For the Environment. For the People.
New Assignments
Framework agreement with Enel Green Po-wer S.p.A. for environmental authorization of renewable power plants in Europe and North Africa.
Specialized services for the completion of an Offshore Environmental Monitoring Program-me to be carried out within three Exploration Prospects for Eni Cyprus Ltd.
Contract value: 430 K€ Contract value: 200 K€
Assistance in the assessment of technical documentation within the framework of law 4/2015 of 25 June on the prevention and cor-rection of soil pollution. Final client is IHOBE.
ELM Consulting Group, USA/Argentina commissioned us with conducting Complian-ce Surveys at the sites of 2 pharmaceutical drug manufacturers in Turkey and in Austria.
Contract value: 96 K€ Contract value: 4 K€
For the company TRC, USA/GB we perfor-med 6 site investigations in France.
For the company Messring GmbH, Munich, we translated another Chinese foundation soil report for a motor vehicle test track.
Contract value: 44 K€ Contract value: 3 K€
Support service for the characterization of potentially contaminated soils affected by ETS works. Final client is EUSKAL TRENBI-DE SAREA - RED FERROVIARIA VASCA.
The municipality of Surberg commissioned HPC with planning, tendering and constructi-on monitoring/site management for the sewer renovation project planned by HPC AG for this year and next year.
Contract value: 107 K€ Contract value: 44 K€
We were just commissioned by Société du Grand Paris, to conduct environmental au-dits on construction sites (urban train lines, stations).
Framework agreement with Enel Green Po-wer S.p.A. for Social Environmental Econo-mic Context analysis for Enel Green Power companies.
Contract value: 850 K€ Contract value: 700 K€
For the company Partners, USA, we perfor-med 8 Phase I Investigations in Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Moro-cco.
By HETI Risk, we were commissioned with 17 insurance objects, with the aim of delinea-ting contaminated soil..
Contract vlaue: 25 K€ Contract value: 11 K€
The company ITRON, USA, commissioned us with the investigation of an industrial site in Reims, France.
For EY (Ernst and Young) Italy, we conduc-ted Compliance Audits in Poland and Den-mark.
Contract value: 5,5 K€ Contract value: 6 K€
Framework agreement with Eni S.p.A. - Upstream & Technical Services DICS for environmental engineering services for the EIA procedure, in support of exploration and development projects and for remediation procedures in Northern and Central Italy.
Specialized services for the completion of an Offshore Environmental Monitoring Program-me to be carried out within two Exploration Prospects for Lighthouse S.p.A. (final cli-ent TOTAL E&P Cyprus).
Contract value: 1.000 K€ Contract value: 200 K€
Imprint
Edition 01/2019HochProCentig is published twice a year and produced by HPC AG. The purchase is free.
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