ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS AND BENEFITS: A PROPOSAL FOR DIVULGING AND REPORTING IN ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Over the past few years, costs related to the environment borne by companies have been increasing at a gallop. On the one hand, regulatory controls and environment legislation have become progressively more demanding, while on the other, there has been a noticeable increase in social pressure and from markets to verify compliance relative to this problematic. However, traditional Financial Statements, whether in respect to individual accounts or whether referring to joint accounts, of the informative agencies have not evidenced in a transparent or adequate way those costs related to the environment, frequently classifying them as non-environmental costs or, other times, diluting them into operational costs. The facts pointed out result from companies having great difficulty in identifying and characterizing the real origin and dimension of their nature and environment costs. Starting with the different environmental dominions that present relevance in the electric power sector (in particular the production of electrical energy) this study seeks to identify and characterize the principal costs and benefits inherent to this sector of economic activity. I is further intended to make a valid contribution to the divulgation and reporting of environmental costs and benefits, whether in Portugal or in other countries. Keywords: Transparency. Rigorous sense. Relevance. Sustainability.