The production and consumption of electricity lead to environmental impacts which must be considered in making decisions on the way in which to develop energy systems and energy policy. The key to moving towards rational energy development lies in finding the ‘balance’ between the environmental, economic and social goals of society and integrating them at the earliest stages of project planning, programme development and policy making. The environmental consequences of energy production and use must be known in order to manage and choose energy products and services. The requirements for information in support of corporate and/or government planning and decision making are changing, there being a clear emergence of concerns for environmental accountability. Thus, there is a need to integrate the environment more effectively into all aspects of energy planning and decision making, in order to make current decisions environmentally prudent, economically efficient and socially equitable, both now and for the future. Assessing environmental impacts associated with different energy systems through the use of a framework which facilitates comparison will permit consistent and transparent evaluation of these energy alternatives.

Tiering of environmental evaluation

Appraising sustainability

Sustainability appraisal (SA) has recently emerged as a policy tool whose fundamental purpose is to direct planning and decision-making towards sustainability. Its foundations
lie in well-established practices such as strategic environmental assessment (SEA), applied to policies, plans and programmes, and in project environmental impact assessment (EIA). The distinguishing feature of sustainability appraisal, when compared with others, e. g. SEA, is that the concept of sustainability, not just the environment, lies at its core. However, as explained below, comprehensive SEAs also deal with all three components — environment, economy and society — in a balanced way. No matter which type of assessment is applied at the highest planning level, either SA or SEA, its aim is to provide answers in a comparative manner and to assist in the process of identifying the most suitable alternative, e. g. energy option.