ENVIRONMENT AUDIT BY TENAGA
Efficient power generation with systematic monitoring, analysis
TENAGA NASIONAL will start environmental auditing (EA) next year after having adopted EA as part of its environmental policy. A report on EA In Malaysia by the Centre for Environment, Technology and Development (Cetdem) quoted Tenaga Nasional senior manager (environmental unit) Lim Chin Bock as saying that the company endeavours "to achieve high environmental standards through effective environmental monitoring and auditing".
The report said Tenaga Nasional started looking into EA in 1991 but will implement it only next year due to the lack of manpower, expertise and limited resources, and after clearing its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) backlog cases.
Tenaga Nasional was one of the institutions whose views were sought in the study.
The study found that many are prepared to undertake EA even if it is not required by law.
(The Environmental Law Review Committee has proposed a new section to the Environmental Quality Act which gives the power to the director-general of environment to mandate EA).
Tenaga Nasional was quoted as saying it supported the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry's proposal to include EA in the Act.
Pollution
If the EA is not regulated, hardly anyone will do it, Lim was quoted as saying.
Tenaga Nasional views EA as a management tool to evaluate periodically how well the local environmental management and pollution plants are performing and to identify the weaknesses and make recommendations.
The company’s EA will involve:
• environmental accounting — mainly to check compliance with environmental laws. Tenaga Nasional has been writing environmental reports since 1991.
• environmental auditing — to assess effectiveness and efficiency of pollution mitigation equipment, pollution monitoring system and the local environmental management.
• environmental special studies — to keep tabs on pollution effects on surroundings and to address public complaints.
• post-project analysis— to compare actual pollution levels and impacts against those predicted in the EIA reports.
Lim said Tenaga Nasional has yet to determine how many of its installations will be audited.
The company, however stressed that EA would be an internal affair, except when pollution control equipment needs to calibrated and checked.
It also called for governmental support of incentives like tax rebates. It said companies conducting EA In the Mean region should link up so that they can share experiences.
Source : The Malay Mail, June 30 1993
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