Buildings
The Commission will comply with the relevant targets set in the package of proposals on energy and climate action aiming at delivering the European Green Deal
Introduction
Emissions from buildings represent a major part of the Commission's carbon footprint, and the aspect over which it exercises the most control is energy consumption. Reducing overall energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels are the two most important elements for reducing emissions. A minor contributor, in comparison, are losses of refrigerants from the technical installations in buildings of which each kilogram lost may result in several tonnes of CO2e. Far more important are the embedded emissions from building construction, and which are accounted for using an amortisation approach.
Buildings' energy consumption
The figure below indicates that the Commission continues to reduce its total buildings' energy consumption, and in the COVID years of 2020 and 2021 maintained this trend although more ventilation was required to avoid recirculating air in the buildings. The Commission reduced final energy consumption by 11% in 2023 compared with 2022, and by over 30% since 2019.
Final energy consumption at EMAS sites (2014 to 2023), MWh
Key achievements and actions
- The Commission seeks, under the Greening Communication, to halve the number of buildings it occupies and reduce the surface area by 25% by 2030. The announced sale, in 2024, of 23 older and inefficient buildings will be key.
- Recurring short term buildings closures:
- 30 office buildings closed from 03 to 06/1/2023
- 21 buildings closed from 31/07 to 25/08/2023
- 42 buildings closed from 26 to 29/12/2023
- 7 buildings fully organised in dynamic collaborative space (DCS)
- Buildings plan foresees occupying only 31 buildings by 2030
- Successful implementation of the winter energy consumption reduction plan, aiming at a 15% reduction both in electricity and gas, target was exceeded (17% achieved in 2022/23)
- In 2023, occupation of greener buildings as to L107, L51, SB34
- In 2024, occupation of the first Brussels 'zero emission in-use' building, the new CO46
- Revised operational modes of HVAC systems were adopted both for winter and summer leading to reductions in energy consumption. For 2023, 13.6% energy reduction achieved compared to 2022.
- In 2023 all buildings have 'green' electricity but we report 97%, as owner of LACC didn't provide GoO certificate - origin of green energy.
- Mercier EuroOffice Building abandoned 31 July 2023 and OP and DG CNCT staff moved to Mercier-Post building 1 August 2023. The building has Platinum level DGNB environmental certification for sustainable construction. It is the first Commission building in Luxembourg to be organised as dynamic collaborative space (DCS).
- Progress on construction of the Jean Monnet 2 (JMO2) building, to be completed by May 2026 (phase 1), and December 2026 (phase 2).
- Data for 2023 include some estimations due to broken counters, managed by the owner, in DRB.
- Data from 2018-2022 were updated to incorporate corrections to past estimations not properly followed up. Moreover heating and cooling in BECH were reported as gas supply while it was district heating and cooling by a special on site system using gas cogeneration.
Overall, the JRC reduced its energy consumption in 2023 compared to 2022 by approximately 17%. This was achieved through measures such as reducing temperatures and the daily schedule for heating and ventilation, where possible. Some medium-term measures are also being developed such as more efficient planning of scientific activities.
It should be borne in mind that most JRC sites host energy-intensive scientific and/or nuclear infrastructures that need to comply with specific regulations. For example, some of these facilities need to be continuously ventilated due to legal compliance. In addition, some scientific tests require (high) energy consuming specific procedures (e.g. the use of very low temperature freezers).
- JRC Geel is a high-energy consumer due to some of its activities (e.g. Gelina nuclear accelerator). By continuing energy saving measures and shutting down Gelina due to technical problems, JRC Geel reduced its energy consumption by 18% in 2023.
- JRC Ispra's total energy consumption decreased by 8.6% in 2023 compared with 2022. This was due to the many actions aimed at reducing energy consumption implemented on site (see Case study). Management supported with a new approach promoting the integration of the trigeneration plant production (-20% compared to 2022) with renewable energies, both on and off-site (e.g., +22.5% of "green" electric energy purchased).
With reference to data reported in the figure above, to relate the site's consumption to the activities under the responsibility of JRC Ispra, the following energy consumption contributions are not included within the reporting because they are outside the EMAS scope of JRC Ispra: EUROPOL Decryption platform (in force since 2021), Ispra-1 nuclear facilities (under SOGIN administration since end of 2019), Italian Fire Brigade, Bank office, Carabinieri station, bus contractor’s office.
Starting from 2021, also the contribution of the new VELA 10-11 laboratory has been included within the data set despite the activities carried out, i.e. tests on vehicle emissions on the market are for third parties and, more important for target consistency purposes, they have been planned after the definition of EMAS targets.
The total energy consumption of the Ispra site for 2023, including all the above contributions is 74 862 MWh (-15.8% compared to previous year), that corresponds to 30 MWh/p and 282 kWh/km2.
- Due to the specific site characteristics of JRC Karlsruhe, only actions with major infrastructure works (e.g. thermal insulation of the old parts of buildings or renewal of the ventilation systems) that require heavy financial investment (ie likely more than EUR 10 million per action) will have a significant environmental impact on buildings' energy consumption. As such funding levels cannot be foreseen, JRC Karlsruhe refrains from detailed planning in this context. Although they contribute to a more limited extent to improving energy consumption, other lower cost site actions such as exchanging "conventional" lights by light-emitting diode (LEDs), or reducing the time when the ventilation of the controlled areas is operating at 100% have been implemented.
- In 2023, several restoration and repair works of buildings were launched in JRC Petten. Laboratory installations underwent regular assessments and were powered down if not in use. Additionally, a feasibility and compatibility study on using the existing geothermal system in the future was conducted and is in development. JRC Petten implemented various measures from the Building Energy Savings Together (BEST) initiative such as decreasing building temperatures and reducing ventilation during holidays.
- JRC Seville partially occupies a building built in 1990, that itself was made in part from reclaimed materials. The landlord plans to implement several energy efficiency measures, such as the installation of photovoltaic panels. JRC Seville is looking to reduce the number of its ICT infrastructure rooms. In the medium-term, it also plans to move to a new energy-efficient building inspired by the values of the European Bauhaus.
- Most of the energy requirements for the buildings are met from the electricity grid and from heating oil supplied on average three times per year and stored in an 85,000 litres bunded storage tank. There is no mains connection for gas on site because there is no mains gas in the area. Bio-LPG is supplied by two small propane storage tanks of 2,000 literes each and used for cooking in the canteen and restaurant, and to heat the water on from May to September when oil boilers are shut down. Heating oil has in recent years provided a larger share of the site's energy use than electricity. The trends in energy consumption are largely related to external causes such as climate, seasons (natural light levels) and to office occupancy rates.
- Insulating the building's roof and replacing/refurbishing windows has been effective. The replacement of old high wattage lights with lower consuming LEDs will continue across the site. Final energy consumption reduced by 6% since 2022 and by more than 30% since 2019. A wing of the site was largely closed off for all 2023 and also helped reduce energy. consumption since then.
Main actions to reduce energy consumption and emissions
The Global Annual Action Plan (GAAP) 2023, highlights more than 100 actions under the heading Use more efficient sustainable, and climate-resilient buildings and office space. Some of the more visible actions are highlighted below.
Corporate actions to reduce buildings energy consumption (and emissions) include:
- Buildings closure over holiday periods.
- Lower thermostat settings and reduced 'comfort hours' for heating and ventilation.
- More efficient use of office space, and adoption of dynamic collaborative spaces.
- Efforts in line with EU initiative of Member States to reduce winter energy consumption by 15% compared to the five year average.
- Contracting electricity from renewable sources (most sites).
- Regular communication campaigns urging staff to switch off and generally minimise energy consumption.
Overall, the JRC - beside implementing the actions mentioned in section i) above - have put in place additional measures such as:
- Reduction of the temperatures to 19 °C and the daily schedule for heating and ventilation, where possible.
- Medium-term measures such as the temporary mothballing of least energy-effective buildings or the more efficient planning of scientific activities.
More specifically and as an example, the main measures implemented in JRC Ispra in 2023:
- Ventilation and heating provided in offices only between 8:00 and 18:00, from Monday to Friday.
- Reduction of street lighting hours.
- Reduction of hot water temperature in the district heating, from 85°C to 80-70°C (depending on weather conditions).
- Heating and ventilation switched off during the Christmas holidays until 08.01.2024 except in critical buildings.
- Closure of buildings 63 and 5a.
- Specific actions implemented in laboratories (e.g. punctual shutdown of air conditioning systems serving areas not used intensively in VELA 10).
JRC Karlsruhe has introduced energy-saving measures since winter 2022 which reduce the time when the ventilation in the controlled area is running at 100% by 2.5 hours per day, hence increasing the time when the system is running at 50%. In addition, the controlled area was closed on days when less work was expected (e.g. bridge days) during which ventilation was running at 50%.
Grange maintained temperature reductions (19°C in occupied offices, and 14°C in unoccupied offices), turned off parking and street lights between 9pm and 7am in addition to the replacement of old lights by LEDs.
Final energy consumption data by surface area and staff
The tables below present energy consumption as per capita and per square meter. As indicated previously, the JRC sites in Ispra, Geel, Petten, Karlsruhe have laboratories and conduct energy-intensive experiments, which explain the higher consumption (per capita or m2) than other EMAS sites consisting mainly of offices.
Buildings' final energy consumption, 2014-23, part A - MWh/p
Buildings' final energy consumption, 2014-23, part B - kWh/m2
Key corporate level communications: addressing energy use
EU Institutions joined forces to achieve 15% of energy savings every autumn/winter as a contribution to European solidarity in times of energy scarcity. Energy-saving actions are continuing as part of the longer-term greening objectives.
Some of those measures are already being implemented in the context of the greening of the Commission. This includes, for example, the temporary closure of some buildings during the summer, under the ‘Building Energy Savings Together’ (BEST) action”, which achieved roughly 330MWh of electricity savings.
Total renewable energy
The Commission has reduced the total quantity and proportion of energy from non-renewable sources over the years, as shown in the table Final Energy consumption at EMAS sites (2014 to 2023), MWh. Consumption of energy from non renewable sources in 2023 was 18% lower than in 2022, and 41% lower than in 2019. Non renewables represented 51% of energy consumption in 2023, down from 55% in 2022 and 59% in 2019.
In 2023 in Brussels, the reduction in renewable energy consumed is linked to the overall decrease in energy use, due to continued reduction in the office space of the EC building portfolio and continued replacement of old buildings by more sustainable ones, the implementation of a medium and long-term energy efficiency action plan in the buildings to reduce energy consumption.
In Brussels, in 2023, the BERL, SB34 and L-15 were equipped with photovoltaic panels (PV). The installation of PV in CO46 and future buildings is due in 2024. A project for the new renewable energy sharing schemes from nearby PV is under negotiation for DAV1 & NOHE.
In 2023 in Luxembourg, the reduction in renewable energy consumption is linked to the overall decrease in energy use (renewable electricity accounted for 100% of total supplied electricity).
- In 2023, JRC Geel, the 12% reduction in renewable energy consumed is linked to the decrease of electricity used.
- In JRC Ispra, the renewable energy in 2023 increased by almost 33% compared to previous year mainly due to the 22.5% increasing of the electricity purchased from outside, considered 100% “green”, as well as the increase in the energy produced by the PV plants (+30%). Renewable energy considers the contribution of thermal exchange with lake water. This contribution takes into account the entire value of lake water. A campaign to install lake water meters in buildings is on-going. Afterwards it will be possible to have a more detailed metering. To be noted that the value of renewable energy also includes the contribution of heat pumps located in buildings 46i and 58 and the heat pump located in building 59x (recovering heat from the district cooling network). This value is instead not reported in the final energy consumption (table Final energy consumption) as it cannot be considered primary energy. The same assumption of chapter "JRC sites, key achievements and actions" was made also for the calculation of total renewable energy consumption: the relative third party contributions were therefore excluded from the reported data. The total 2023 Ispra site renewable energy consumption (MWh) contributions including all third parties is 24 428 MWh.
- JRC Karlsruhe does not set a target for non-renewable energy use in buildings because the only type of energy coming from renewable sources is electricity. Electricity is supplied by KIT and upstream supplier(s) without JRC Karlsruhe having any influence on its sources.
- In 2023, the total renewable energy consumption decreased slightly in JRC Petten. The possible reason could be milder summer temperatures compared to previous years.
- In JRC Seville, the modernisation of the HVAC has increased its baseline energy consumption and inherent complexity. Nevertheless, the building owner continues to implement further energy-saving measures at the request of JRC. The decrease in gas consumption is partially attributable to these initiatives, for example the reduction of heating times. The scheduled electrical supply cut-off for replacing and upgrading the low-voltage transformers played a key role in reducing the overall consumption in 2023, and the new transformers installed are expected to deliver savings in the short-term.
Fuel use by site
The mains points are as follows:
- Most sites have contracted electricity with certificates of origin from renewable sources in recent years.
- JRC Karlsruhe and DG SANTE at Grange do not have a main gas supply.
- The main source of energy at JRC Ispra is the internal trigeneration natural gas plant, complemented by electric energy purchased from the grid, on site photovoltaic plants and cooling energy provided by exchange with cooling water. Other contributions come from different heat pumps (e.g. through exchange with wastewater or groundwater) located along the site and from diesel and petrol used for laboratories.
- JRC Petten uses diesel fuel for the Emergency Generator. The last delivery was made in June 2022, meaning the consumption data for diesel is valid for the timeframe June 2022- March 2024.
- District heating supplies five buildings in Luxembourg and the JRC sites in both Karlsruhe and Geel.
- Seven of 13 buildings in Luxembourg have a main gas supply, while the CPE5 uses woodchip/biomass.
- Diesel is only used as the predominant heating fuel at DG SANTE at Grange, although at most sites it is used for testing the back-up generators. It was phased out for heating buildings in Brussels several years ago.
Developing site generated renewable energy
The main points are summarised below:
- There have been large increases in use of geothermal heat pumps in recent years.
- Brussels plans to develop solar panel installation in the following years, as specified before.
- Luxembourg's JMO2 building will be one of the most technologically advanced building to be used by the European Institutions. It is targeting a BREEAM certification level "Excellent", and will benefit for example, from: a photovoltaic solar system, a water softener with CO2 (healthiest and most ecological system available on the market), building occupation detection, energy recovery elevators converting braking energy into electricity, ventilation heat recovery of over 85%, etc.
- At the JRC:
- JRC Geel is currently making a study for the implementation of solar panels. So far, approximately 1000 panels for a capacity of around 400 KW should be installed.
- At JRC Petten, a feasibility and compatibility study on using in future the existing geothermal system for heating/cooling in buildings was conducted. The study is still in development.
- JRC Ispra will further increase its renewable site energy consumption
in the next few years by installing other PV systems (2 MW by 2024) and running pilot projects to
produce and use hydrogen on site. On top of that, the site has analysed the possibility to acquire
bio-methane to replace natural gas in the trigeneration plant. However, there are currently important
technical and market capability obstacles. Currently the renewable energy sources of JRC Ispra are:
- electrical energy purchased from the grid (100% green);
- electrical energy produced from the photovoltaic panels system (+12,9% of peak capacity compared to 2022);
- cooling energy from lake water heat exchange;
- thermal and cooling energy recovered through the heat pumps located in buildings 59x, 46i and 58.
- At JRC Karlsruhe, the installation of PV is not possible due to regulatory restrictions.
Emissions from buildings
These represent a significant proportion of the Commission's carbon footprint, and include those from energy use in the buildings, from refrigerant losses for installations, and from construction of the buildings. Related CO2 emissions, such as particulate matter are also considered.
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption at Commission EMAS sites (tCO2e), 2014 - 2023
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption at Commission EMAS sites (tCO2e/p), 2014 - 2023
Emissions from buildings' energy consumption
Buildings’ energy consumption represents the part of the carbon footprint over which the sites have the most control. Data in the figure above show that the Commission reduced emissions by 16% just in the last year, from 41 ktonnes CO2e in 2022 to 35 ktonnes in 2023.
Brussels emissions are relatively low considering its energy consumption reflecting that electricity is supplied from renewable sources. Brussels and JRC Ispra together accounted for nearly two thirds of CO2e emissions in 2023, with JRC Seville and Grange responsible for very small amounts. All the sites reduced emissions in 2023.
Corrections in energy consumption were made, from 2018-2022, to correct the previous reporting of heating/cooling in BECH as main gas supply while it was district heating. This resulted in reduction of CO2 emissions for these years.
In 2023, JRC-Geel reduced its CO2e environmental impact by the reduction of the energy consumption and in particular the use of district heating (more than 50% reduction).
At JRC Ispra, the tri-generation gas plant provides for a more efficient energy supply for the site than that would be provided by the market and satisfies the thermal energy needs that anyway could not be provided by any external operator. The grid supplies a small amount of electricity and the site is therefore responsible for a significantly greater proportion of the total emissions. The emissions related to buildings' energy consumption in 2023 decreased by -20.5% compared to 2022 due to a lower consumption of natural gas and to a greater contribution of renewable energy, as well as a reduction in the total site energy consumption in absolute terms. The same assumption of chapter "JRC sites, key achievements and actions" was made also for the calculation of total emissions from buildings’ energy consumption: the relative third-party contributions were therefore excluded from the reported data. The total 2023 Ispra site values for CO2 emissions related to buildings’ energy consumption including all third parties is 11 843 tonnes.
The table above shows the historical trends in per capita buildings emissions along with the aggregated Commission value. A gradual return to work in 2021, resulted in a 5% increase in per capita emissions but 2022 and 2023 continue to show a decrease despite the return to the office.
The JRC sites in Geel and Petten significantly reduced their emissions in 2018 by switching to an electricity contract with predominantly renewable sources. JRC Geel employs heat pumps in one of its main buildings. JRC Seville followed in 2020. Although such contracts result in low or zero emissions for energy use, there is a small amount representing embedded emissions of the renewable sources.
Emissions from refrigerants
Refrigerants have Global Warming Potentials (GWP) typically between 1 000 and 10 000 meaning that a leak of just a few kilograms can have the equivalent atmospheric global warming impact of several tonnes of CO2. They typically account for 1 to 2% of buildings’ CO2e emissions from energy consumption.
Between 15 and 20 refrigerants are recorded in EMAS reporting at JRC Ispra and JRC Geel, and 15 at JRC Petten, and the distribution by site is shown in the Figure below.
Breakdown of refrigerant emissions by site 2023 (tCO2e)
Overall, the Commission’s total and per capita refrigerant losses have reduced considerably since 2021, and Brussels accounts for two thirds owing to the large number of staff working in buildings with HVAC systems.
In Luxembourg, total losses increased significantly, as losses of R134a and R404a gases were reported in 7 installations during yearly control, 4 of them at the newly acquired MERCIER POST Building.
For the JRC:
- JRC Geel continues its efforts in mitigating the F gas leaks. As a result, the 2023 observed leaks were reduced by 43 %. The main impactful leaks derived from SF6, which is not used as a refrigerant but as an insulation gas.
- In JRC Ispra, the 39 tonnes of CO2e losses recorded in 2023 originated from 1 chiller installed in VELA10-11 laboratory. Following the cause analysis of the incidents who interested the laboratories in the last 2 years (VELA 10 in 2022 and VELA 10-11 HVAC in 2023), flexible hoses have been installed on all the 3 chillers of the laboratories in order to avoid vibrations and resonances that cause refrigerant leaks and service interruption. As improvement action, in 2023 VELA labs replaced R404a and R507c gas installed in older equipment with R448a, a refrigerant with lower GWP. Thanks to this action, the potential total quantity of CO2eq emissions reduced by 65%.
- JRC Karlsruhe continues to report no losses during normal operation under its protocol (less than 3%).
- JRC Petten recorded a decrease in refrigerant loss in 2023 compared to 2022. In 2022, a significant number of installations were replaced with more energy efficient units. Therefore, the peak in 2022 was not a loss but rather a removal of refrigerants.
Grange did experience gas losses in 2023 under the F-gases maintenance schedule. The 10 tonnes of CO2e losses originated from one of the LU-VE units outside the main server room.
Embodied emissions for buildings
Emissions from buildings (fixed assets) are evaluated using an amortisation approach in which the emissions for a building are distributed over its assumed design life. Different sites may use different values according to the characteristics of their buildings. It is a 'broadbrush' approach, a relatively small number of factors are applied to the calculation. The calculation of fixed asset emissions by site in the table below are subject to the following considerations:
Fixed assets (embodied) emissions for Commission buildings, (2018-2023) (tCO2e)
The spreading of these emissions across a long period of time limits the impact of the introduction of just one building in the scope. Figures for 2022 show the first effects of the new building policy, in the framework of the Greening of the EC communication, aiming at a reduction of 200 000 m² by 2030. The small increase for 2023 is due to the entry of the new building L107 in the EMAS scope.
In 2023, in Luxembourg, fixed asset emissions for buildings account for 4 589 tCO2e, increased by 6.7% since 2022. HITEC Building was abandoned end of 2022 and was out of EMAS scope for 2023. The Mercier Post building replaced the Mercier Euroffice building in August 2023, but both buildings are considered in the EMAS Scope for 2023. The value will change in the next few years as more buildings are removed from the portfolio with the final move to JMO2 in 2026 and which should be a long term solution.
- In JRC Ispra, fixed asset emissions account for 2 816 tonnes CO2e in 2023. It depends on a building’s design life and the type of construction, and is based on a 50 years amortisation period. The overall value reduced by 13.3 % since 2019 and 0.2% with respect to last year.
- In JRC Karlsruhe, fixed asset emissions are based on the generic office factor – which is unchanged - which is unchanged since 2016.
- In JRC Seville, the 30 year old building is fully amortised.
Non-CO2 emissions
Considerations are as follows at the JRC sites where calculations have been presented for several years:
At JRC Geel, the emissions from air pollutants (SO2, NO2, etc.) are rather low and relatively stable because most of the buildings are heated by natural gas and hot water. Other emissions arise from the use and testing of the emergency generators, which run less than 100 hours/year. In 2023, the total air emissions was reduced by around 25% compared to 2022.
JRC Geel: Total air emissions buildings (tonnes) as minimum (SO2, NOx, PM10)
At JRC Ispra, figure NOx, CO total emissions from Ispra trigeneration plant shows that total emissions of CO and NOx from the trigeneration plant in 2023 have decreased compared to last year mainly due to the actions carried out between the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023 (i.e. the installation of new catalyst filters on three of the engines and the extraordinary maintenance of one of the engines), but also due to the reduction in total operating hours on an annual basis of the engines.
The yearly emission of ammonia (NH3), monitored since 2022, underwent a significant increase (from 140 to 720 kg) compared to the previous year but still remained at low absolute values. The yearly emissions are communicated to Regione Lombardia and other Italian Authorities according to JRC Ispra’s specific legal framework.
As agreed with the Italian authorities, the trigeneration emissions threshold values set by Region Lombardy are ensured by means of the overall emissions, in terms of mass flow for CO and NOx, assuming the continuous operation of the plant for the entire year. These values were respected also during 2023 and will be communicated to the interested parties. The start-up of the new highly efficient trigeneration plant is scheduled for the end of 2024.
NOx, CO total emissions from Ispra trigeneration plant, (kg)
At JRC Petten, NOx emissions are generated by heating installations as by-product of the combustion. Compared to 2022, the NOx emissions increased by 41% as shown below. It should be noted that the NOx emission values are based on calculations.
Estimated NOx emissions at JRC Petten, tonnes
JRC Seville's non-CO2 air emissions are mainly the result of the boilers’ gas consumption. The calculation multiplies the gas consumption by the maximum concentration of NO2 emissions, as specified by the manufacturer (NONOx < 56MG/kWh).
Nuclear particles
JRC Geel, with its nuclear license, is strictly regulated by the Federal authorities (Fanc and BelV). In the frame of the environmental impact, besides the waste produced, one of the site's obligations is to monitor alpha emissions. As below, these emissions are rather stable and well below the limit of 888 kBq.
Atmospheric emissions containing α emitting aerosols at JRC Geel, kBq
In addition to frequent measurements made by JRC Karlsruhe itself, the site participates in the KIT Campus Nord’s surveillance program to provide ‘official’ values relating to protecting the surrounding environment from potential radioactive emissions. KIT has an extensive surveillance program measuring air, soil, water, and vegetation for radioactivity and is obliged to give regular reports about these measurements to the Umweltministerium Baden-Württemberg, the supervising authority for nuclear installations in Baden-Württemberg. (Figure below).
JRC Karlsruhe exhaust air: aerosols declaration to authorities (Bq/y)
JRC Ispra, as established in the operational provisions for nuclear installations and under Italian law, has set up a program of environmental monitoring in order to detect and record potential radioactive releases and monitor the level of radioactivity in the environment in its surroundings. This uses a network of fixed instrumentation for sampling and/or direct measurement complemented by environmental sampling made within the site and in the surrounding areas.
The site is authorised to discharge low quantities of gaseous and liquid radioactive effluents, through authorised release points, in accordance with the limits set out in operational provisions issued by the Italian Regulatory Authority (Discharge Formula). Gaseous radioactive effluents can be released from the nuclear installations after filtration and continuous radiometric control. Similarly, the release of radioactive liquid effluents is permitted only after treatment and prior radiometric control. The amount of releases is measured in activity (Bq), compared with the authorized limits and reported as a percentage of the site discharge Formula limits.
In 2022, a new discharge formula was approved by the Italian control authority, which is also valid for future decommissioning activities, and which in some cases led to a reduction in the authorized discharge limits. The total activity released in 2023, both liquid and air, is of the same order of magnitude of the previous years and remains well below the authorised limits. The amount of gaseous radioactive releases is equal to 0.058% of the limits and the amount of liquid releases are equal to 0.731% of the limits as shown below. The overall releases resulted in negligible doses for the population, quantified well under 1 microSv/year, even under conservative assumptions.
Gaseous and liquid effluents at JRC Ispra, % of discharge limit values
The 2024 target is to keep discharges well under the authorised limits, in line with the values of recent years and to keep, in any case, the dose values to the population well below the threshold of non-radiological relevance of 10 microSv/year, as defined by Italian legislation and European directives.