Environmental Policy

With our environmental policies we seek to use all-natural resources in a rational way, with proper preservation of the environment. Through the principles of the Environmental Policy, we also define our posture towards nature and its preservation, helping us to establish standards and mechanisms that enable employees and partners to transform this attitude into actions.  

Divided into seven principles, our Environmental Policy highlights the goals that will guide our work to reduce, compensate or eliminate any environmental impact generated by the company’s activities and ensure sustainable development.

Learn about the seven principles of our Environmental Policy:

Principle 1: At Cemig we plan, design and develop our activities, taking into account environmental implications.

Principle 2: We manage the environmental implications of our activities preventively.

Principle 3: We manage the significant environmental impacts of our activities by adopting mitigating measures and appropriate practices.

Principle 4: We seek feasible environmental valuation that can go beyond the management of impacts required by law, without, however, assuming responsibility for other Federal, State or Municipal government agencies.

Principle 5: We consider the participation of affected or interested communities during their activities in the project stages as enriching.

Principle 6: In addition to complying with applicable laws, regulations and government policies, we may supplement them with our own rules if necessary.

Principle 7: Respect for and appreciation of the environment is the responsibility of all our employees, partners and subsidiaries.

CURRENT PRINCIPLES

– Balance
– Management
– Compliance with legal requirements
– Application of the mitigation hierarchy approach
– Commitment to continuous improvement
– Communication and environmental education
– External partnerships
– Climate change and energy transition
– Sustainable products and services

CEMIG’S COMMITMENT TO BIODIVERSITY

Cemig dedicates special attention to the conservation of biodiversity in the environments where it operates, since water and biodiversity are closely related. There is a legal commitment to recover, protect and conserve the forests, rivers and fauna surrounding the developments.

The impact of human activities on ecosystems has led to a decline in biological diversity. Thus, Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais – Cemig, aware of the impacts caused by its activities on biodiversity and recognizing the importance of defining strategic guidelines for its preservation, adopted a specific policy (Biodiversity Policy) which was created with the participation of several segments of society involved with the theme.

Cemig seeks to minimize the impact of its activities on biodiversity, considering the impact mitigation hierarchy (prevent, mitigate, rehabilitate/restore, compensate). In order to achieve this proposal, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of the risks associated with biodiversity, as well as the dependencies of this relationship, recognizing the importance of natural resources and the pressure exerted on them through the expansion and maintenance of the company’s activities.
Biodiversity risk assessment is an integral part of Cemig’s Strategic Planning with continuous monitoring of internal processes involving the topic and the establishment of controls and associated action plans through a specific approach to the location. As a result, internal instructions and procedures are updated and new guidelines are created, reducing risks in own operations and adjacent areas and expanding the company’s commitment to biodiversity management, even in upstream and downstream activities. In this sense, environmental plans and programs aimed at biodiversity allow the identification of disturbances, critical analysis, construction of strategies and effective action for mitigation.

Considering the extent of Cemig’s undertakings, all areas considered environmentally relevant or sensitive in terms of biodiversity are analyzed for the presence of some type of operational unit. In the case of hydroelectric and wind power plants alone, 60 projects totaling 350,703.23 hectares, we have 30 of them taking place in places considered to be protected or of relevance to the protection of biodiversity, and in all cases the structures were built and started operating at a time prior to the institution of conservation units and interest in protection. We cite, as an example, PCH São Bernardo, which was inaugurated in 1948 and is currently within the Federal APA of Serra da Mantiqueira, in the south of Minas Gerais, which was instituted by Decree nº 91.304/1985 and validated by Law nº 9.907/ 1995.

Cemig has an Aspect/Impact Matrix that evaluates all factors related to the operation, maintenance of generating units, property surveillance, conservation and cleaning, maintenance of civil structures, inherent to the generation, transmission and distribution of energy that may promote impacts on the environment environment. In this sense, uses of oily products such as lubricating oils and greases in the maintenance and operation of associated systems and machinery are observed, as well as the use of fuels in industrial units. It is also necessary to report the emission of various industrial effluents, sanitary effluents, hazardous waste and non-recyclable waste inherent to the execution of services and use of building structures by company employees.

In addition, all of Cemig’s hydroelectric plants follow a Service Instruction aimed at protecting the ichthyofauna during operation and maintenance of the hydroelectric plants. This instruction outlines responsibilities and actions that must be taken to avoid impacts on the ichthyofauna, at least 5 of which were considered to be of high importance for ichthyofaunal biodiversity (three of which are also located in environmentally relevant areas as highlighted above). Since 2018, the Peixe Vivo Program team has developed the “Fish Death Risk Assessment Program at Cemig Group Hydroelectric Plants”, whose proposal is to mitigate potential risks to ichthyofauna associated with the operation of hydroelectric plants. This objective is achieved through periodic monitoring prior to the maintenance and/or operation of the power plants, whose data make it possible to measure the fish density and the environmental conditions downstream of the hydroelectric power plants.

Cemig manages biodiversity through environmental programs that seek to protect the environmental resources in the vicinity of the undertakings. These programs involve knowledge of the fauna and flora through inventories and monitoring; the interaction of fauna species with fragmented environments and the survival capacity of critical species; raising the awareness of local residents with a view to reducing deforestation and increasing connectivity between fragments; promotion of the environmental recovery of degraded habitats through nucleation techniques and planting of native seedlings; of water quality and associated aquatic organisms.

We are working to achieve, in the long term, a neutral net impact on biodiversity, respecting the principle of no net loss, thus contributing to the Organization’s Sustainable Development Goal 15 (Safety of Life on Earth) of the United Nations – UN.

We develop programs and studies aimed at preventing and controlling the impacts of invasive non-native species and implementing strategies to compensate for deforestation, aiming to achieve zero net deforestation (no net deforestation), resulting from our activities to expand our energy generation and distribution businesses electric.

We reinforce our commitment to purchase products from suppliers that promote the conservation of natural ecosystems, monitoring suppliers in their supply chain.

We develop initiatives and carry out research, technological development and innovation projects, contributing to the improvement of the environmental performance of activities related to the supply of electric energy, aiming at the conservation of biodiversity.

We act strongly in the prevention and reduction of impacts and dependencies, additionally promoting incentives for the regeneration, restoration and transformation of environments. We quote below just a few examples of activities that are carried out by Cemig on these topics.

Prevention

Cemig seeks to avoid any and all impacts of its production process on biodiversity through the work of the Peixe Vivo Program, which aims to harmonize the relationship between the operation of hydroelectric plants and the fish fauna of the rivers, since it researches, applies and develops techniques for this, such as structural adaptations in the plants; management of water resources by monitoring the quality of surface water in reservoirs and hydrometeorological networks to monitor the level of reservoirs and contributors (rivers, streams), in addition to precipitation, which prevents damage to the aquatic system in terms of water volume and quality . Also, several research and development projects seek to optimize the applicable tools and avoid impacts caused by human activities, such as the use of environmental DNA to obtain data on fish.

Reduction

Cemig has an efficient and comprehensive management of waste, including domestic, oily, industrial, sanitary, among others. Monitoring the process from waste production to storage, transportation, treatment (when possible and proper disposal) generate important environmental benefits, reducing contamination. Another example worth mentioning is the monitoring of the ichthyofauna carried out by the Peixe Vivo Program team, during operating procedures at the hydroelectric power plants, which has led to a great reduction in injuries and fish mortality.

Regeneration

Regenerative actions have been carried out by carrying out plantings in degraded areas, which are part of the company’s forest compensation goals, as well as the implementation of nucleating structures that also act in a restorative way, implemented, for example, within the scope of the Embortação hydroelectric plants (Research and Development Project – R&D 602) and Queimado (Fauna Increase Subprogram).

Restoration

In addition to planting seedlings in degraded areas, Cemig has already carried out important processes that, in the long term, can promote the restoration of environments through the implementation of nucleating techniques. Using the transposition of soil rich in organic matter and micro/meso edaphic fauna, obtained in adjacent forests, the implantation of artificial perches, piles of brushwood and complementing with the planting of zoochoric seedlings (whose seeds are dispersed by the animals that consume the fruits), an important degraded area began its restoration process, through research carried out by a research institution. A similar condition was created in areas close to the Queimado HPP reservoir with the aim of attracting and expanding the use of these spaces by fauna, generating important biological processes for the natural regeneration of that environment as in the moment before the impact (in this case brought about by the removal of vegetation original).

Transformation

The main tool for transformation takes place through the Environmental Education of the company’s employees and communities that use the electrical system and located in the vicinity of the projects. This awareness and combination of responsibility of the actors is also exercised through research projects involving universities and research institutions in addition to educational activities promoted in Cemig’s conservation units (RPPNs – Galheiro Natural Heritage Private Reserve, Usina Coronel Domiciano and Fartura). At UHE Queimado, for example, graphic material related to fauna conservation is produced and distributed annually.

Biodiversity Exposure & Assessment

Cemig evaluated all its operational units with possible impacts on biodiversity and, as our main impacts are related to hydroelectric plants, consider the exposure and impacts of this activity. Thus, we carried out an assessment of all 60 sites (plants) that have a flooded area of ​​350,703 hectares, notably linked to the risk of fish mortality.

All of Cemig’s hydroelectric plants follow a Service Instruction aimed at protecting the ichthyofauna during operation and maintenance of the hydroelectric plants. This instruction outlines responsibilities and actions that must be taken to avoid impacts on the ichthyofauna, at least 5 of which were considered to be of high importance for ichthyofauna biodiversity. Since 2018, the Peixe Vivo Program team has developed the “Fish Death Risk Assessment Program at Cemig Group Hydroelectric Plants”, whose proposal is to mitigate potential risks to ichthyofauna associated with the operation of hydroelectric plants.

Based on this procedure and exposure analysis, of the 60 plants, 32 plants (with a flooded area of ​​226,568 hectares) are more exposed to fish mortality risks and have implemented management plans.

Check out our Biodiversity Policy, in the attachment below.