In the course of its operation, MVM Mátra Energia Zrt. - with its environmental investments and landscaping activities - undertakes to ensure that the characteristic image, the rich flora and fauna of Mátraalja do not suffer permanent damage.
In areas where no mining activity is taking place anymore, technical and biological landscaping begins immediately. The company permanently rehabilitates the landscape of the excavating surfaces, dumping areas, taking into account the humus saving obligations. The possibilities of recycling on the surface of overburden dumps enable the formation of arable land, grasslands and forests.
The main aim is to create a beautiful, suitable environment in the abandoned mining areas, to eliminate the unfavourable landscape effect, to spread the typical games and birds of the Mátra, the Bükk and the Great Hungarian Plain.
Both the power plant and mine pay special attention to the protection of the surface and groundwater as well as the drinking water bases. The Lake of Markaz, which supplies industrial water to the Mátra power plant, also provides opportunities for recreation and sports. In order to protect the quality of its water, a sedimentation and cleaning pre-lake has been established, which helps to maintain the biological and ecological balance of the lake. The industrial and public wastewater of the power plant, the slurry deposits and the mines are collected by individual sewer systems and cleaned by industrial and public wastewater sewage works.
The mine dewatering is part of the open-pit mining technology. The company strives to extract only as much groundwater as is absolutely necessary for safe mining. The exploited groundwater is primarily used for ecological purposes by ensuring the supply of drinking water and industrial water, as well as the supply of lakes and surface watercourses.
The company's most important tasks in the field of air quality protection include the reduction of solid and gaseous air pollutants of flue gas arising in the boilers of the power plant against emissions into the air, and the observance of emission limits laid down in European Union standards.
Dust emission is reduced by electrostatic precipitator (electrofilter) equipment installed after the units. In order to reduce the emission of carbon-monoxide and nitrogen-oxides below the limit value, modifications of the furnace were carried out and injection systems were developed. During the operation of coal-fired power plants, significant amount of sulphur-dioxide is generated. In order to detach this, since 2000, Mátrai Erőmű Zrt. has been operating the flue gas desulphurisation system based on wet limestone process. The absorbers are built inside the cooling towers, which is a unique solution all over the world. Since then, the power plant has also fulfilled the EU requirements concerning sulphur-dioxide emissions.
A key task in protecting air quality is to minimize the surface air pollution effects of slurry depositss and industrial dirt roads. To this end, the most often used roads are paved, unpaved roads are regularly watered.
The power plant operates an environmental measurement system in order to control dust, sulphur-dioxide, carbon-dioxide and nitrogen-dioxide emissions.
In the wider area of the power plant, the slurry deposits and the mines, immission-period measurements are carried out, proving compliance with the legislation.
Due to its operation, MVM Mátra Energia Zrt. uses significant areas for mining and power plant purposes.
After use, these areas are arranged according to their characteristics, recultivated and returned to agricultural or forestry cultivation.
Since the years 2010, the company has been increasingly using renewable energy sources for the generation of electricity. After recultivation, the areas can also be used for energy purposes, one of the ways of this use is the installation of solar power plants.
Őzse - valley photovoltaic power plant
The site of the project is the solidified top of the Őzse - valley slurry deposit, which is full and out of order after nearly 20 years of operation. Thanks to the characteristics of the 30-hectare, almost flat plateau, it proved to be ideal for the development of the planned solar power plant.
In the spring of 2015 the construction of the photovoltaic solar power plant of 16 MW installed capacity began, which was then unique in Hungary. It was put into operation in the autumn of 2015.
The 16-megawatt solar power plant consists of 72 480 polycrystalline solar panels with a nominal capacity of 255 watts each.
Photovoltaic power plant of Bükkábrány
The mining technology also leaves behind significant areas that served previously for deposing overburden.
In accordance with the landscaping requirements, these areas take on the hilly-declivitous shape of the surroundings. Part of these areas can also be ideally used to install solar power plants.
The first such power plant unit, installed in a former mining area, was built in Bükkábrány in 2019, where a unit similar to that of Visonta, but with a larger capacity, with solar panels of a total of 22.6 MW and capable of generating 19.95 MW of electricity, was built on the top of a overburden dump abandoned a few years earlier.
The solar power plants have been sold by the company, but their operation and maintenance tasks are carried out by electrical operation and maintenance specialists working in the power plant and the mines. However, their work is not limited only to the 16 and 20 MW units established by Mátrai Erőmű Zrt. but also provide the MVM Group with similar services, ensuring the supervision of a total of 142 MW of photovoltaic power plant capacity.
Environmental protection is a central component of our corporate policy. Our activities are carried out in accordance with the applicable environmental legislation, regulations and guidelines, under permanently controlled and supervised conditions, by ensuring the necessary resources.
In order to comply with the legal requirements, measures are introduced, implemented, evaluated, emissions are regularly controlled, contacts with the authorities are kept and consultations are made. Protecting, preserving and improving the environment, restoring the damaged environment, the responsible waste management, the landscaping, the protection of land, soil, air quality, water, protection of the surrounding settlements, their open notification about the environment are prerequisites of long-term operation and the retention of good reputation.
Mátrai Erőmű Zrt. operates a uniform quality and environment-focused management system, which also ensures the fulfillment of obligations laid down in the regulations and authorizations also from environmental point of view, so that its own objectives rise to a higher level and harmful environmental effects are reduced. To this end, an environmental management system has been established to meet all environmental obligations and other requirements related to environmental protection through the process control system.