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Urenco celebrates World Environment Day
03 June 2021
This week Urenco is celebrating World Environment Day by reflecting on our recent work to make a difference and further integrate sustainability into everything we do.
World Environment Day, on June 5, has been running since 1974 and provides a useful opportunity for businesses to consider how they can develop greener models. This ongoing mission for Urenco made tangible progress last year. Our headline results for 2020 were:
- Total energy use and total emissions (scope 1 and 2) fell by 2% and 9% respectively, on a like-for-like basis.
- Electricity consumption across all four enrichment sites reduced by a further 2%. This was mostly due to efficiency measures such as further roll-out of upgrades to centrifuges at our sites in the Netherlands, UK and Germany, and continuing installation of LED lighting and pump speed optimisation at our UK site.
- Water consumption reduced by 10%, mainly due to changes in operational processes.
Each of our sites runs projects to make a positive contribution to our environmental goals. For example, our Tails Management Facility in the UK, which manages the by-product of our enrichment services, has begun rainwater harvesting to reduce our reliance on water from external sources.
In a quest for further energy-saving possibilities at our site in the Netherlands, a drone has been purchased to perform infrared scans of buildings. Heat emissions are being identified, examined and diminished through the new tool, which employees have been trained and certified to operate.
Our German site is working on more energy efficient cooling machines and in the US, due to the climate in New Mexico, we have limited the amount of vegetation on-site, ‘xeroscaping’, as well using native and low-maintenance plants to ensure our landscaping is environmentally responsible.
In 2021, Urenco has committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions in advance of 2040 as part of the Climate Pledge (partner organisation of the UN’s Race to Zero Campaign). We have also refreshed our Sustainability Strategy and look out for full details in the forthcoming Sustainability Report, published next month.
About Urenco
Urenco is an international supplier of enrichment services and fuel cycle products with sustainability at the core of its business. Operating in a pivotal area of the nuclear fuel supply chain for 50 years, Urenco facilitates zero carbon electricity generation for consumers around the world.
With its head office near London, UK, Urenco’s global presence ensures diversity and security of supply for customers through enrichment facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA. Using centrifuge technology designed and developed by Urenco, and through the expertise of our people, the Urenco Group provides safe, cost effective and reliable services; operating within a framework of high environmental, social and governance standards, complementing international safeguards.
Urenco is committed to continued investment in the responsible management of nuclear materials; innovation activities with clear sustainability benefits, such as nuclear medicine, industrial efficiency and research; and nurturing the next generation of scientists and engineers.
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