Biodiversity

Biodiversity and nature protection are a priority at Vattenfall. It is one of the focus areas in our environmental policy and therefore also a central part in our environmental work.

We recognise that biodiversity is crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems and ensuring the sustainability of our operations. We therefore strive to minimise our ecological footprint and enhance natural habitats.

A nature-inclusive energy transition

Climate and biodiversity are closely linked as climate change is a key driver for biodiversity loss. Decarbonising our assets and our customers – and scaling up new fossil-free electricity – are therefore the greatest contributions we can make to the energy transition. At the same time, investing in these activities has an impact on the environment and natural ecosystems around us.

Targets and key activities are outlined in our biodiversity transition plan for 2030, through which we show how we will contribute to the Kunming-Montreal framework in its efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

We work on three levels:

Direct operations 

We will continue to minimise biodiversity impacts through innovative solutions in project development and site management.​

• Reducing the impact of new projects by applying the mitigation hierarchy 
• Stimulating habitat enhancement at existing sites 
• Investing in biodiversity research and development

Supply chain

We will address biodiversity in our supply chain by working with suppliers and partners to adopt sustainable practices.​

• Addressing impacts from a material and risk perspective (fuel sourcing, raw materials and contractor requirements)
• Reducing CO₂ emissions to limit impacts of climate change

Ecosystems and society

We aim to create solutions that protect ecosystems, combat climate change, and benefit society.​

• Developing nature-based solutions 
• Protecting forests and wetlands, starting with land that we own and manage
• Seeking partnerships that can drive broader and more transformative change

Examples of biodiversity targets

How we work to protect nature and biodiversity

We have a wide variety of projects linked to all energy sources as well as to our premises and we have a strong focus on biodiversity research. Here are some examples of our key actions:

Peatland restoration at Pen y Cymoedd wind farm

Vattenfall has restored up to 1,500 hectares of peatland habitat in Wales. This action is required as part of our permits. The aim of this project is to restore peat habitats to near natural conditions, enhance ecological integrity, and ultimately help to control emissions of greenhouse gases. In doing so, the restored areas will help increase biodiversity and be of value to a range of species such as nesting birds, reptiles, insects and wetland floral specialists.

Beyond the project budget of GBP 3 million, Vattenfall has voluntarily provided substantial additional funding to Swansea University. The project has also been carried out in collaboration with the neighbouring Lost Peatlands of South Wales project. 

Nature-Inclusive Design (NID) in offshore wind farms

In line with Dutch regulations that offshore wind farms should actively enhance the marine ecosystem, Vattenfall's NID approach at Hollandse Kust Zuid includes the installation of water replenishment holes in the wind farm foundations. These holes serve both a technical purpose and can benefit marine biodiversity by providing shelter from currents and predators for species such as Atlantic cod, edible crabs and sculpins. Each of the 139 foundations has four water replenishment holes strategically placed near the seabed.

Biodiversity hotspots and tailored maintenance in the distribution grid

Vattenfall has identified 980 biodiversity hotspots covering about 250 km of power line corridors in Sweden through GIS-based analysis and field studies. The maintenance plans for the power line corridors have then been adjusted so that hotspots with high scores in the natural value assessment receive more attention. This initiative focuses on measures to enhance biodiversity, such as regular clearing of vegetation to create open habitats that benefit grassland species. 

A GIS-based analysis was also carried out on 90 substations, and proposals were made for site-specific biodiversity enhancement measures to benefit bumblebees, bees and butterflies. Measures are now being implemented at a selection of stations.

“Laxeleratorn” – exploring innovative solutions for safe fish passage

Over the next 20 years, all Swedish hydro power production will be environmentally tested and equipped to meet modern environmental standards. The challenge is to find solutions that reduce the negative effects on ecosystems and biodiversity, while minimising the impact on electricity generation. 

To find solutions, Vattenfall invested in a large-scale laboratory for hydro power-related environmental and hydraulic experiments. The facility, called Laxeleratorn ("The Laxelerator"), is used to study fish behaviours in running waters and it was inaugurated in 2019.

For example, we are testing a solution with dancing foam rods that can guide fish in the right direction. We also conduct research on eel and post-spawning salmon (kelt) and how they react to changes in water conditions, to establish design criteria for bypass systems.

Species protection 

Vattenfall has operations that have an actual or potential negative impact on endangered species, including certain species of birds, bats and fish. It is therefore important for us to ensure that the long-term viability of regional species populations is not endangered by our operations, projects or new assets.

Species protection is also an integral part of many of our research projects. For example, we have helped develop an evidence-based modelling tool to assess the impact of piling noise from wind farms on harbour porpoise populations, and we have programmed our own smart self-learning algorithms to improve fish migration in watercourses.

We are trialling GPS tracking of golden eagles to better understand their flight patterns and inform wind farm planning. In addition, we are monitoring capercaillies using remote cameras, audio recorders and GPS tracking in one of our onshore wind power projects. The capercaillie project is conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and will evaluate whether the precautionary measures that have been part of the permit are sufficient, and provide knowledge on how onshore wind power can be adapted to the needs of capercaillies.