Water

Freshwater Withdrawn2The increase in freshwater withdrawn in 2022 and in 2021 compared to previous years is due to the consolidation of Borealis. The majority of freshwater withdrawn at Borealis is once-through cooling water, meaning it is discharged to the environment in its original quality, only with a very slightly elevated temperature. See Environmental Data for details.

In megaliters

Water use (bar chart)

OMV uses significant amounts of water for its operations in its upstream and downstream activities. Freshwater is used for processes such as drilling, steam generation, and cooling, among others. Smaller amounts of water are also used for non-industrial purposes. Any water produced is treated for reinjection into pressurized hydrocarbon reservoirs to optimize the extraction rate. Desalinated water is used in some offshore operations. Refineries and various other operating facilities also use brackish and/or recycled water for various operational purposes. Some of OMV’s operating facilities are located in water stress areas.1 Areas of water stress are areas where the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period, or when poor quality restricts its use. In such areas, water stress causes deterioration of freshwater resources in terms of quantity (aquifer overexploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.). Source: European Environmental Agency

Specific Policies and Commitments

Our Water Ambition Statement is OMV’s public commitment to water management, and states the following:

  • We respect water as a precious limited resource and focus on its sustainable use.
  • We are committed to meeting all applicable legislative requirements or our own OMV regulations, whichever are more stringent.
  • Water management is a key component of our social license to operate. We cooperate with local communities and prove to be responsible partners.
  • We are committed to transparency when it comes to our impact on water resources.
  • Every OMV employee is responsible for minimizing the impact of our activities on water resources.

The OMV Group’s Environmental Management Standard requires all OMV businesses and activities to minimize the impact of effluent on the environment and on local communities, and outlines specific requirements for wastewater discharge onshore and offshore. The direct discharge of wastewater on land, in wetlands, or in other bodies of water without prior treatment is not permitted. No discharge may alter or diminish the value of the receiving environment. All discharge must be systematically monitored, and any environmental impact must be managed appropriately. Local regulatory and river basin authorities are involved to ensure that OMV complies with local environmental regulations and has obtained all of the required permits. The OMV Group’s Environmental Management Standard was updated in 2022, with key additions being new annexes for the development and implementation of Water Management Plans.

Management and Due Diligence Processes

OMV’s Group-wide Water Strategy was drafted in 2014 and is based on five strategic pillars: transparency, risks and opportunities, water efficiency and treatment, training and awareness, and stakeholder engagement.

Risk Assessments

High-level water stress assessments are conducted on an annual basis. In order to identify operations in areas affected by water scarcity and water stress, OMV uses international tools and indexes such as the Verisk Maple­croft Water Stress Index complemented by the World Resources Institute () Aqueduct Baseline Water Stress Index, and its own assessments as required. Some regions where OMV operates have already experienced water stress in dry years and a further decline in water avail­ability is expected, mainly due to climate change.

A bottom-up approach in the assessment of water-related risks is followed in accordance with OMV’s Group-wide Environmental Risk Assessment () guideline to ensure consistent qualitative assessments of operational risks and impacts related to the environment, including water. Sig­nificant risks are integrated into OMV’s Enterprise-Wide Risk Management () system. When entering a new country or considering new operational activities, OMV primarily uses the World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct tools and Verisk Maplecroft indices to identify future potential water-related constraints, such as baseline water stress, groundwater stress, and seasonal variability.

Water management-related risks are closely linked with the topic of spill prevention. Offshore operations may lead to oil spills that have a significant impact on marine water resources and ecosystems. The response strategy aims to minimize the probability of such risks and maximize preparedness so that we can provide timely remediation measures in the unlikely event of an oil spill. OMV allo­cates significant resources to prevention and mitigation measures. Read more about spill prevention in the section Spills. Any new or existing offshore drilling activity is accompanied by a third-party analysis evaluating the magnitude of a potential major event and its possible consequences. As part of the biannual Group-wide EWRM process, water-related risks and mitigation measures are assessed in a larger strategic context, while a systematic approach is taken in day-to-day operations to monitor and manage high-impact/low-probability risks, such as blow­outs during offshore drilling.

Water Management Plans

Water Management Plans are an effective tool for addressing all water-related topics, issues, and tasks, with the aim of improving water management performance. They provide information about current water uses and chart a course for water efficiency improvements, conservation activities, and water reduction goals.

Every location in the OMV Group must develop, implement, and maintain a Water Management Plan, which should include at least the following elements:

  • Scope and objectives including site description
  • Applicable legislation, other requirements, and permits
  • Identification of water sources, discharges including water quality parameters, and monitoring plans
  • Water map, inventory, and balance including discharges
  • Water transport, storage, and treatment systems
  • Significant water-related risks and mitigation measures
  • Water conservation and water efficiency measures including an action plan

Operating facilities located in places that are affected or are likely to be affected by water scarcity issues, and operations utilizing significant water resources (e.g., Tunisia) are prioritized when developing and implementing Water Management Plans. These plans aim to allow sustainable long-term production with minimal effects on the environment.

Best Available Technologies

We implement measures to reduce freshwater withdrawal to a minimum. These include: reduction of operational complexity, water recirculation (e.g., at CCPP Brazi), upgrade of equipment (boilers), maintenance of equipment to reduce water loss, replacement of water cooling systems with air coolers (for example, the C3+ fraction recovery plant from Petromar), the use of desalinated seawater rather than freshwater, the installation of recirculating cooling systems, the use of air or glycol as a cooling agent instead of water (e.g. at Oltenia’s 2 Bustuchin compressor station asset), and optimization of pipeline routes for water supply. In addition to implementing measures to reduce freshwater withdrawal, we implement the Best Available Technology () to sustainably treat water.

Stakeholder Engagement

Our impact on water resources is important to various stakeholders. We engage with government authorities, such as river basin management authorities, on compliance with water use rules and environmental parameters relating to any wastewater generated. We also engage with local water utility companies to discuss the supply of freshwater for OMV operations and the treatment of wastewater. We additionally work with NGOs on environmental preservation and water resource conservation, as well as with local communities on the sharing of local water resources and the quality of discharged wastewater. For instance, in Austria, there are local fisherpersons who fish the Danube in Schwechat, close to both the refinery and the Lobau Tank Farm, and in the harbor there, with whom we have maintained an active and open dialogue for several years. In areas where OMV operations require large amounts of water, or areas that suffer from water stress, it is particularly important to include local stakeholders in water management activities to secure a “social license to operate.” OMV’s water management activities pursue socially equitable water use, and OMV regularly carries out supplier audits to ensure compliance with our human rights requirements.

To ensure that the interests of local communities are known and taken into account during the project life cycle, OMV conducts social baseline studies and community needs assessments as part of Social Impact Assessments (SIAs). If these assessments identify the need, OMV launches community projects aimed at increasing access to clean water for local communities. Our Community Grievance Mechanisms also enable communities to raise concerns about water-related issues. For more information, see Community Impacts and Grievances.

2022 Actions

The following key activities were carried out across the Group in 2022:

Water Management Plans completed for 67% of priority sites

0.16% of freshwater withdrawal is in water scarce areas

0.06 mg/l dispersed oil concentration in discharged water

  • Water Management Plans have been completed for 67% of priority sites, with the development of plans in progress at the remaining sites. All plans are developed according to the new annexes of the OMV Group’s Environmental Management Standard.
  • A regulatory water assessment audit was conducted for OMV Tunisia (Nawara Central Processing Facility) to check compliance with internal and legal requirements, assess the water distribution network, and improve water efficiency accordingly. The audit process was based on consumption data, pressure and flow rate measurements, evaluating the status of sanitary equipment, and identifying the source of leaks. The data assessment and monitoring showed that water performance has improved compared with 2021.
  • In 2022, Borealis installed a wastewater treatment plant in Stenungsund. The new waste water treatment unit is designed according to the BAT for this purpose and fulfills all legal requirements from the Swedish authorities. A new and modern wastewater treatment unit will improve the environmental performance of the cracker plant and reduce the environmental impact on the surroundings. The new wastewater treatment unit will reduce the emission of contami­nants to the Baltic sea and will also minimize emissions to the air, since all treatment steps are covered and enclosed. The new unit includes buffering in two tanks and physical and chemical treatment of the water in dissolved nitrogen flotation units. The off-gas from the different steps will be treated by adsorption in carbon filters.

Outlook

As part of our Sustainability Strategy 2030, we aim to reduce freshwater use. As a next step, we plan to establish quantitative targets to improve water management. By the end of 2023, the aim is for all operated OMV Group sites to have finalized and implemented their Water Management Plans.

1 Areas of water stress are areas where the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period, or when poor quality restricts its use. In such areas, water stress causes deterioration of freshwater resources in terms of quantity (aquifer overexploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.). Source: European Environmental Agency

2 The increase in freshwater withdrawn in 2022 and in 2021 compared to previous years is due to the consolidation of Borealis. The majority of freshwater withdrawn at Borealis is once-through cooling water, meaning it is discharged to the environment in its original quality, only with a very slightly elevated temperature. See Environmental Data for details.

WRI
World Resources Institute
ERA
Environmental Risk Assessment
EWRM
Enterprise-Wide Risk Management
BAT
Best Available Technology
VOC
volatile organic compund