PUBLIC POWER CORPORATION SA
COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT

PRESS RELEASE

The Environmental Management Systems of three Lignite-fired Power Plants of the North System of PPC S.A. have been certified today to the ISO 14001:2004 standard (TUV CERT).

The certification concerns the Steam-Electric Power Plants of Kardia and Amyndeon in the Prefecture of Kozani and the Power Plant of Meliti in the Prefecture of Florina and has been awarded by the accredited certification body TUV HELLAS, subsidiary company of TUV NORD Germany. The approval was given following an auditing of the existing internal environmental management systems operating at the above mentioned power plants, which were aligned with ISO 14001:2004 standard. The certificates are valid for one year, while a new auditing will be held on a yearly basis.

In the near future seven other steam electric and two hydroelectric power plants will follow a similar procedure. These power plants are actually at the phase of completing the compliance of their environmental management systems with the ISO14001:2004 standard.

The important benefits of environmental management systems are the following:

1. Optimal management of natural resources and raw materials with positive impact to both the environment and the financial performance of power generation.

2. Accurate determination of responsibilities and competences of the executives as well as of the personnel in regard to environment-related activities.

3. All external partners (contractors, suppliers, etc.) are required to possess the appropriate permits and certifications for the project or supply under execution and to observe the relative Environmental Legislation, etc.

4. Full implementation of the legislation in regard with the activities of the power plants (air pollutants emissions, pollutant load of liquid waste, solid waste management, land rehabilitation, improvement of the natural environment, etc.).

5. Improvement of the corporate image and of the relations of the corporation with the authorities and the local society, since transparent communication highly contributes to the creation of an atmosphere of trust and cooperation.

At the award ceremonies, held today, PPC Management was represented by Mr. Demetrios Lappas, General Manager of West Macedonia, acting also as General Manager of Generation, who stressed the systematic effort of the corporation to continually improve the environmental behavior of power plants. In order to achieve the said objective, the corporation makes big investments and implements the best practices in order to improve the power plant's performance. Mr. Lappas encouraged the executives and the personnel to make every effort to ensure full protection of the environment of West Macedonia.


Athens, April 7, 2009                                                                                                    Press Office