Objective 4

To take into account environmental protection criteria when selecting new investment projects, solutions and technologies

In most cases, industrial activity does have an environmental impact. This is usually harmful to the environment; air pollution, water contamination, depletion of drinking water resources and reduced biodiversity are all examples of this impact. For centuries, especially in the industrial era, man exploited the environment to satisfy his needs. However, the emergence of the first material effects of this irrational management of natural resources has brought about a gradual change in attitudes.

The initiatives currently being undertaken on numerous levels share the single common purpose of eliminating or reducing the adverse effects of human activity. This is consistent with the sustainable growth principle, which provides for enough growth to meet the needs of today’s generation without depriving future generations of the ability to satisfy theirs. This principle also drives the PGNiG Group’s pro-environmental initiatives.

Initiatives/best practices

Environment-friendly projects

The PGNiG Group carries out a number of projects benefitting the natural environment. This has been a consistently pursued development objective for us over the years, as evidenced by our project portfolio, including the development and launch of CNG filling stations and the promotion of gaseous fuels for the transport sector. Other projects we have pursued are perhaps less spectacular, but equally important for the environment, and include energy-saving process solutions at mines and underground gas storage facilities which enable heat recovery from industrial processes, or the use of expansion turbines for gas pressure reduction.

The development of natural gas-fuelled vehicle fleet, thermal performance improvement of buildings, also harnessing photovoltaic energy, are among other environmentally-friendly solutions we have implemented. Our care for the environment is also manifest in other activities, such as the purchase of equipment for vacuum feeding of natural gas into gas pipelines hot-tapping and plugging systems, the purchase of packaged sewage treatment plants for well pads, shakers, etc.

Our comprehensive investment portfolio includes such projects as:

  • Purchase and assembly of double-wall fuel tanks, shakers, vacuum degasifiers, centrifuges, washers, oil containers, water tanks, mud tanks, rock cutting and wastewater tanks, formation water tanks, methanol tanks etc,
  • Construction and upgrade of sanitary sewage systems, wastewater treatment plants and washing stations with oil separators, as well as maintenance of treatment plants,
  • Purchase of sorbents, neutralising agents, and foil to be used under tank stations,
  • Purchase of power generators and new, high-efficiency motors, for use at well pads,
  • Redesign of installations used for desulphurisation of natural gas and crude oil and for waste injection at petroleum production sites,
  • Upgrade of formation water installations, well installations and well workovers to enable injection of formation water into native rock,
  • Construction and upgrading of gas-fired boiler houses and cogeneration systems with a view to limiting emissions from energy-generation sources,
  • Replacement of cast-iron gas pipelines with PE piping.

Our renovation projects include primarily renovation of gas-fired boilers, measurement and odourisation systems, thermal performance improvement of buildings, upgrade of sewage systems, dewatering systems, control rooms, etc.

Environment-friendly projects pursued in 2011 were mainly in the area of air pollution reduction, including reduction in methane air emissions. The largest portion of the related spending (74% of the total) was incurred by our Gas Distribution Companies to fund such projects as the construction and upgrade of old, cast-iron gas pipelines, and migration to PE pipes, as well as entry of the gas service pipelines into areas with no previous gas supply, or the purchase of CNG-fuelled vehicles. Other projects in the area deserving a mention include the construction of a storm-water sewage system for site stormwater and thaw-water run-off and pre-treatment, as well as upgrade of pressure reduction and metering stations.

Production Branches posted the second largest capital expenditures (24% of the total) of all expenditure items allocated to air pollution prevention, sewage management, water protection and waste management. The funds were used for the construction of pumping stations and formation water tanks. Exploration companies spent 1% of all outlays on sewage management, water protection and waste management, purchasing hydrophobic polypropylene sorbents, mud treatment systems, double-wall fuel tanks, state-of-the-art washing units, septic tanks, and flooring for POL storage package.

The aggregate capital expenditure made by all the PGNiG Group entities in 2011 exceeded PLN 131m.

The 2011 upgrade projects were primarily intended to prevent air pollution, improve sewage management, water protection and waste management. Actions taken by the Gas Distribution Companies (whose expenditures accounted for 93% of all upgrade spending) included boiler house retrofit, district heating boiler replacement, upgrade of gas odourisation plant nozzles, sewage treatment plant construction, gas network and gas connections redesign. Operation Branches implemented projects (5% of all expenditures) such as petroleum tank leak detection system installation, upgrade of mining process plant, facilities and the sewerage system. The upgrade effort at other companies, including Geofizykas, focused on upgrades to buildings and their district heating systems, process facilities, such as paint shops, as well as storm and thaw water polishing equipment. The total upgrade cost for all PGNiG Group entities in 2011 totalled over PLN 69m.

The total cost of renovation incurred by all entities of the PGNiG Group in 2011 was in excess of PLN 3m, and the funds were primarily allocated to renovation of boiler houses, gas network, thermal performance improvement of buildings, removal of asbestos-cement panels from roofs, or reconstruction of a flood safety section on the right bank of river Ropa, etc.

There has been an overall increase in the spending on environment-friendly development and upgrade projects in 2009-2011. Substantial funds spent every year on environment-friendly projects enable us to permanently reduce the negative impact of the PGNiG Group entities’ operations on the environment, see the chart below.