Environmental Management

Due to the nature of its operations, OMV has an impact on the environment. The Group strives to minimize that impact at all times, particularly in terms of spills, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, as well as water and waste management. OMV strives to optimize processes to use natural resources as efficiently as possible and to reduce emissions and discharges.

OMV is strongly committed to climate change mitigation and responsible resource management, and has set targets to reduce its carbon footprint. The principal targets are to reduce the carbon intensity of OMV’s overall operations by 19% and the carbon intensity of products by 4% by 2025, both compared with 2010. This will be achieved by improving energy efficiency across all operations, implementing GHG emission reduction projects, and increasing the share of natural gas and petrochemical products in our product portfolio.

To address future challenges, we have set up two new departments. “Carbon Management” will focus on reducing the GHG emissions of our existing assets and finding further opportunities. “New Energy Solutions” will develop small- and large-scale, low-carbon technologies for energy supply, for mobility, and for industry. This unit will connect to OMV’s core competencies and maintain a direct link to the existing business.

In 2019, there was one major hydrocarbon spills (level 3 out of five levels. 2018: two). The total volume of hydrocarbon spilled was 56,641 liters (2018: 36,874 liters). OMV continued to improve its oil spill response preparedness and capabilities.

Key environmental actions and achievements in 2019:

• Achieved for the fourth time in a row a CDP Climate Change A– leadership score
• Continued to implement our commitments as endorser of the World Bank’s “Zero routine flaring by 2030” initiative and developed routine flaring and venting phase-out plans and methane emissions reduction plans
• Continued to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations by, e.g., commissioning two new gas-to-power plants, which use previously flared/vented gas in OMV Petrom Upstream, and installing photovoltaic cells at another ten retail filling stations in Romania.
• Validated three GHG emission reduction projects (LTS Boldeşti, G2P Gornet, OMV South Tunisia Gas Valorization Project) according to ISO 14064-2 and verified a reduction of GHG emissions totaling 209,242 t of CO₂eq
• Continued the OMV Petrom Pipeline Integrity Management Program to reduce number and volume of oil spills
• Continued to implement projects to reduce energy consumption in refineries, such as advanced condensate recovery and reuse, and an enhanced firing system in the cogeneration plant in Petrobrazi
• Continued to modernize water stations and distribution systems in OMV Petrom Upstream, such as the Săcuieni Water Station in the Muntenia Asset and the rehabilitation of the industrial water distribution system in four parks in Suplac
• Continued to upgrade facilities with state-of-the-art technologies to reduce environmental impact and increase operational efficiency, such as the modernization of the Arad fuel storage in Romania
• Supported biodiversity projects in New Zealand, such as the partnership with Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust to reintroduce the endemic hihi bird (stitchbird) and the partnership with Ngāti Koata and the Department of Conservation for the Moawhitu lake and wetland regeneration project.