Environmental Management

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

In 2022, there were 2 major hydrocarbon spills (level 3 of five; 2021: 3 spills). The total volume of hydrocarbon spilled was higher compared to the previous year. OMV continues to work on its oil spill response preparedness and capabilities.

Key environmental measures and achievements in 2022:

• Water management plans have been established at our main operational sites to reduce water-related risks and ensure efficient and sustainable water use.
• At the Schwechat refinery, we succeeded in significantly reducing water consumption and emissions to air. More than 5% of the average annual water consumption has been saved, most of it through a new control concept for cooling water in a heat exchanger group in the ethylene plant.
• At our FCC unit, the installation of an additional electrostatic precipitator module reduced dust emissions by up to 70%.
• At the Petrobrazi refinery, the tank modernization program continued in 2022 with the modernization of one volatile product tank and the commissioning of a new tank, according to best available technology, which will contribute to the reduction of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
• In 2022, OMV Petrom completed the surface abandonment of 746 wells and 40 facilities in the E&P division. A total of 157,000 t of contaminated soil was treated in our bioremediation plants, and 13,180 t of metal scrap was recycled by authorized companies.
• An enhanced monitoring tool for spill prevention has been implemented at OMV Petrom. The industry-recognized digital well integrity tool was established to assess risks to the integrity of individual wells, prioritize inspections, and take appropriate mitigation actions. By the end of 2022, we had successfully completed the digitization of 4,000 wells, which represents more than 50% of the total.
• Borealis is further commited to restore and maintain a healthy and productive ocean based on the UN Sustainable Ocean Principles and the UN Global Compact membership. Furthermore, Borealis continued its STOP project, a pioneering program to support cities in developing and emerging countries in establishing cost-efficient, effective, and circular waste collection systems. For more information, visit the STOP project website at www.stopoceanplastics.com.
• To honor the commitment to achieving zero pellet losses in operations and the supply chain, Borealis has incorporated all elements of Operation Clean Sweep® (OCS), an international pellet loss reduction program. In addition, Borealis has proactively contributed to the development of a third-party audit and certification scheme for OCS led by the industry interest group Plastics Europe. Borealis’ target is to achieve full third-party OCS certification at all of its sites in Europe by 2024.
• We have continued to work on improving our impact on nature. To achieve this, we apply the mitigation hierarchy in our projects with the following steps: Avoidance, Minimization, Restoration, Offset and Compensation. We want to make a positive impact on nature by implementing biodiversity initiatives, such as our green areas project in arid parts of Tunisia. We continued our tree planting initiatives in 2022 at our Waha and Nawara sites, which include an irrigation system. The goal is to create recreational areas to improve the well-being of employees and visitors.
• Planting continues at the Pohokura natural gas production station in New Zealand. As part of a three-year planting plan to regenerate native species,  500 specimens were planted in 2022.