Waste management
Our activities generate solid and liquid waste, including hazardous waste, such as oily sludge, waste chemicals, catalysts, and construction debris. Examples of non-hazardous waste include concrete not containing dangerous substances, welding waste, drilling wastes, mud without oil content, as well as mixed municipal waste, paper, and metal.
In 2019, activities operated or majority-owned by OMV generated 633,722 t of waste, 310,453 t of which was hazardous waste and 323,268 t of which was non-hazardous waste. We recovered or recycled 325,298 t and safely disposed of 308,523 t of waste, for an overall waste recovery and recycling rate of 51%.
Within the framework of the 2016–2020 OMV-Gazprom Scientific & Technical Cooperation and Partnership, a three-day workshop on “Best Available Techniques (BAT) in the Oil & Gas Industry” was held in Vienna. A group of OMV and Gazprom experts shared their experience and best practice examples in the field of waste management systems in the EU and Russian Federation as well as drilling waste management in onshore and offshore operations.
We are applying best practices in the management of drilling waste. For example, in our OMV Petrom Upstream Crișana asset, inert drill cuttings resulting from water-based drilling waste are taken over by a waste management contractor and are used as a stabilization agent for other waste (mostly sludge) along with other stabilization materials (such as cement). The stabilized waste is subjected to a leaching test and, depending on the test results, can be used as cover layer in non-hazardous waste landfills.
In our Upstream ventures in Abu Dhabi and Yemen, we launched an “Environmental Cha(lle)nge Week” to discuss challenges and opportunities for a sustainable change in behavior. Employees of OMV and contractors discussed topics such as recycling, zero food waste, zero printing, and the green office.
Decommissioning activities
The OMV Group Environmental Management Standard requires that environmental and social components are identified for the entire life cycle of facilities, including decommissioning and abandonment, so that any future adaptation measures are identified and planned for.
In 2019, OMV Petrom Downstream Oil continued to achieve a high waste recovery rate of 97% in the demolition projects completed at fuel terminals and at the Petrobrazi refinery. Around 40,000 t of waste was generated, which was grouped in 14 categories. The largest amount of waste (91%) were clean concrete and mixtures of concrete, bricks, tiles, and ceramic materials, which were crushed and prepared for further use. Around 2,140 t of scrapped metallic ferrous and non-ferrous materials were recycled by authorized companies. Over USD 615,000 was generated from selling the scrapped metallic ferrous and non-ferrous materials. The other 8 waste categories were directed to specialized waste facilities for either recovery or disposal.