ISO 14001 for the Geothermal World

Abstract

It was reported that if all geothermal power projects become operational by their target completion dates, the world may attain a geothermal capacity of 13,402 MW by 2017. As the excitement grows for developing and utilizing this renewable energy resource across countries, this also gives rise to a global concern for environmental protection and preservation. Although the perceived impact of geothermal energy development and utilization is considered low compared to the impact caused by other energy sources (e.g., thermal power plant emissions and nuclear plant facility waste), still, as with other business and energy industry operations, a simple oversight, an unrecognized gap, or prolonged unresolved concerns can bring about serious consequences, project delays, major financial loss, or even lead to the mothballing of the project. The ISO 14001 is a voluntary international Environmental Management System standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization to promote environmental protection. Accordingly, the number of companies that acquired ISO 14001 certification increased to 285,844 at the end of 2012 across 167 countries - a considerable increase of 9% compared to the previous year 2011. In spite of such numbers, not all of the installed geothermal facilities or ongoing development projects are ISO 14001 certified. Hence, this paper will present the rationale for establishing the ISO 14001 environmental management system in the geothermal industry, considering that the geothermal energy development is a timely response to the global challenges for sustainable development. By using several energy companies as role models, this paper aims to amplify that the ISO 14001 international standard for environmental management system is beneficial and integral to the geothermal operations, worldwide.