Water is a vital resource that sustains life and allows for the expansion of thriving communities.
As the global demand for water increases and seasonal droughts strain supply, water scarcity becomes an ever-greater threat. This scarcity affects many industries, especially the oil and gas industry. To combat water scarcity, conservation of this essential resource must be at the forefront of the minds and efforts of leaders in the O&G industry. According to Dan Harbs, senior technical consultant at Veolia Water Technologies and Solutions, water is a resource that companies invest in and maintain every day to ensure the smooth operation of their business.
“Firstly, you’ve put effort into bringing in that water, whether you bought it from municipality, pulled it from a well or clarified it from a river. That is a resource you have invested in that you don’t want to use inefficiently or waste,” explained Harbs at the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers 2022 Summit, held in San Antonio. “From a corporate sustainability standpoint, it does look bad if you’re wasting your valuable resource of fresh water, and obviously there are costs associated with it.”
Those costs can add up, which can result in water scarcity issues later on.
With ESG and sustainability goals becoming more prominent in the refining and petrochemical industry, conserving water is now more important than ever, according to Karen Green, water technologist at Marathon Petroleum.
“The issue of water availability is not a new issue for us at all,” said Green. “However, what is a new issue for us as a refining and petrochemical industry is the challenge of sustainability goals and being able to demonstrate progress and transparency to reduce our water footprint, all whilst aligned with greenhouse gas and other sustainability type goals.”
Marathon highlights water conservation to meet sustainability goals
Another business goal to sustainable water usage can be related to reducing water costs. However, it is important to ensure that volumetric water usage is accounted for when looking at sites with a cost reduction opportunity, according to Green.
“It is important to align business unit goals with corporate goals. As an organization, you have a corporate goal to reduce water usage, whether it’s a volumetric goal or water intensity goals, but as a business unit, if you’re focusing just on those assets that are burdened with water cost, you’re very likely to miss out on some of those big volume users,” said Green. “When you’re looking at corporate wellness with a volumetric reduction, don’t just necessarily focus on those sites with a cost reduction opportunity.”
When implementing water conservation goals, the first step for a worksite should be recognizing the current water footprint, eliminating wastage and taking measures to evaluate how water conservation can be implemented in a work environment.
“Make sure that you’re including water conservation or water optimization as part of any project maintenance turnaround, and whatever might be part of the facility’s needs,” said Green. “It’s not just one group that’s responsible, it’s a top down effort that involves every different aspect of the organization. With that, you should be successful in reaching your corporate goals.”
