Waste from production activities

Waste from production activities in 2013 (about 1.6 million tonnes) increased by 16.1% compared to the previous year (up 2.4% hazardous waste and up 21% non-hazardous waste) due to the contribution of all the businesses, with the sole exception of Other Activities. In particular, the rising trend is attributable to Engineering & Construction (up about 130,000 tonnes), G&P (up 37,000 tonnes), R&M (up about 32,000 tonnes) and E&P (up about 19,000 tonnes). As better shown below, the increase or decrease in the volume of waste reflects the frequency of scheduled maintenance and the opening and operation of work sites.

In the Engineering & Construction sector the rising trend, for hazardous waste, is related to increased offshore drilling activity and, for non-hazardous waste, to increased onshore construction activities, with particular reference to the “Shah Plant and Pipeline” project.

In G&P non-hazardous waste increased as a result of construction activities at various plants (over 25,000 tonnes at Bolgiano for revamping, over 7,000 tonnes at Mantua for decommissioning of thermal power stations and more than 5,000 tonnes at Ferrera Erbognone for the arrangement of the area for external companies and the construction of a new warehouse).

R&M was affected by the special five-year maintenance tasks performed in the Taranto Refinery, where the quantities of non-hazardous waste products more than doubled, exceeding 40,000 tonnes.

The increase in waste production in the E&P sector solely relates to non-hazardous waste (from increases recorded in Egypt at the subsidiaries Petrobel and Agiba and in Italy due to the increase of production waters stored and disposed of as waste and increasing onshore activities compared to 2012). Hazardous waste conversely decreased due to the completion of construction activities in Algeria at the MLE CTH field and the Bolashak site in Kazakhstan.

The volume sent for recovery from production activities in 2013 decreased by 42.8% compared to 2012; the trend consolidates a reduction in both hazardous waste (down 29.2%) and non-hazardous waste (down 46.4%) and is primarily attributable to the E&P sector where the quantities were considerably reduced (down approx. 134,000 tonnes), likewise in relation to the conclusion of the construction activities in the Bolashak site.