Our Group’s water-related risks are managed under our overarching risk management structure as part of risks arising from changes in the business environment, natural disaster risks, risks attributable to operational accidents, climate change-related risks, and environmental regulatory risks.
Specifically, in line with the Environmental Protection Policy, voluntary targets regarding wastewater treatment have been set and incorporated into the Group’s Environmental Management System operations from the perspective of preventing pollution, effectively utilizing resources, and preserving biodiversity. These targets are even more severe than the standards stipulated by national and local governments.
With a particular focus on the effective utilization of water resources, we work to assess our status of water use on a global basis. In reference to the “Aqueduct” data published by the World Resources Institute (WRI), we have also confirmed whether our business sites operate in regions with water stress. Although our seven domestic refineries and complexes are not located in regions with high water stress, the volume of water intake by these seven refineries and complexes accounts for 99% of the Idemitsu Group’s overall water intake volume. Therefore, we thoroughly control the water quality in Japan while working to reduce our water consumption and effectively utilize water resources by recycling those resources.
We also operate in countries and regions where water resources are not necessarily abundant. The problem of water resources is becoming increasingly serious around the world. It is said that there are situations and regions where it is not possible to obtain safe drinking water. Recognizing the current situation, we have begun initiatives to look overseas and are disclosing water stress maps.
Our refineries and complexes use large volumes of water. Therefore, they are working on reducing their water consumption and not just staying in line with wastewater standards.
A certain amount of water (seawater and fresh water) is required to cool the process fluid during the oil refining process at refineries. Fresh water that becomes hot when used for cooling is circulated in an air-cooled condenser to lower its temperature, and reused as cooling water for the process fluid to reduce the impact on the environment. As a water user, we will make further efforts to recycle water resources.
Unit | FY2022 | |
---|---|---|
Industrial water intake volume*1 | thousand t | 87,649 |
Water recycling rate*2 | % | 92 |
At Aichi Complex, we are working to reduce water consumption by cooperating with other companies within the industrial complex to share cold water. By effectively using the chilled water discharged from the LNG vaporizer of Chita LNG Co., Ltd., which is adjacent to the complex, as process cooling water, we are contributing to the overall reduction of water intake in the Chita area.
It is also important to regulate the quality of the water used when it is released back into the environment in terms of the usage of water resources. Our wastewater is treated in a number of facilities to improve its quality to a level that does not harm the environment before being released back into the environment. Due to our ongoing efforts in this manner, we had just one incident of a violation of the laws and regulations governing the water quality control of wastewater in FY2022 (discharge of oil-containing wastewater into the sea: oil-containing wastewater overflowed from a manhole due to heavy rain, mixed in with a rainwater drainage line and then flowed out into the sea) based on the definition of environmental abnormality.