Environmental, health and safety regulation
Eni has incurred in the past and expects to incur significant operating expenses and expenditures in relation to compliance with applicable environmental, health and safety regulations in future years
Eni is subject to numerous EU, international, national, regional and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations concerning its oil and gas operations, products and other activities. Generally, these laws and regulations require the acquisition of a permit before drilling for hydrocarbons may commence, restrict the types, quantities and concentration of various substances that can be released into the environment in connection with exploration, drilling and production activities, as well as refining, petrochemicals and other Group operations, limit or prohibit drilling activities in certain protected areas, require to remove and dismantle drilling platforms and other equipment and well plug-in once oil and gas operations have terminated, provide for measures to be taken to protect the safety of the workplace and health of communities involved by the Company’s activities, and impose criminal or civil liabilities for polluting the environment or harming employees’ or communities’ health and safety resulting from oil, natural gas, refining, petrochemical and other Group’s operations.
These laws and regulations also discipline emissions of substances and pollutants, handling of hazardous materials and discharges to surface and subsurface of water resulting from the operation of oil and natural gas extraction and processing plants, petrochemical plants, refineries, service stations, vessels, oil carriers, pipeline systems and other facilities owned by Eni. In addition, Eni’s operations are subject to laws and regulations relating to the production, handling, transportation, storage, disposal and treatment of waste materials.
Breach of environmental, health and safety laws exposes the Company’s employees to criminal and civil liability and the Company to the incurrence of liabilities associated with compensation for environmental, health or safety damage as well as damage to its reputation. Additionally, in the case of violation of certain rules regarding the safeguard of the environment and safety in the workplace, the Company can be liable due to negligent or wilful conduct on part of its employees as per Law Decree No. 231/2001.
Environmental, health and safety laws and regulations have a substantial impact on Eni’s operations. Management expects that the Group will continue to incur significant amounts of operating expenses and expenditures to comply with laws and regulations addressing the safeguard of the environment, safety on the workplace, health of employees, contractors and communities involved by the Company operations, including:
- costs to prevent, control, eliminate or reduce certain types of air and water emissions and handle waste and other hazardous materials, including the costs incurred in connection with government action to address climate change;
- remedial and clean-up measures related to environmental contamination or accidents at various sites, including those owned by third parties (see discussion below);
- damage compensation claimed by individuals and entities, including local, regional or state administrations, caused by our activities or accidents; and
- costs in connection with the decommissioning and removal of drilling platforms and other facilities, and well plugging.
Furthermore, in the Countries where Eni operates or expects to operate in the near future, new laws and regulations, the imposition of tougher license requirements, increasingly strict enforcement or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations or the discovery of previously unknown contamination may also cause us to incur material costs resulting from actions taken to comply with such laws and regulations, including:
- modifying operations;
- installing pollution control equipment;
- implementing additional safety measures; and
- performing site clean-ups.
As a further result of any new laws and regulations or other factors, Eni may also have to curtail, modify or cease certain operations or implement temporary shutdowns of facilities, which could diminish our productivity and materially and adversely impact our results of operations, including profits.
Security threats require continuous assessment and response measures. Acts of terrorism against our plants and offices, pipelines, transportation or computer systems could severely disrupt businesses and operations and could cause harm to people.
Existing or future laws, regulations, treaties or international agreements related to greenhouse gases and climate change could have a negative impact on our business and may result in additional compliance obligations with respect to the release, capture, and use of carbon dioxide that could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition
Changes in environmental requirements related to greenhouse gases and climate change may negatively impact demand for oil and natural gas exploration and production may decline as a result of environmental requirements (including land use policies responsive to environmental concerns). State, national, and international governments and agencies have been evaluating climate-related legislation and other regulatory initiatives that would restrict emissions of greenhouse gases in areas in which we conduct business. Because our business depends on the global demand for oil and natural gas, existing or future laws, regulations, treaties, or international agreements related to greenhouse gases and climate change, including incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources, could have a negative impact on our business if such laws, regulations, treaties, or international agreements reduce the worldwide demand for oil and natural gas. Likewise, such restrictions may result in additional compliance obligations with respect to the release, capture, sequestration, and use of carbon dioxide that could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition.
Eni has incurred in the past and may incur in the future material environmental liabilities in connection with the environmental impact of its past and present industrial activities. Also plaintiffs may seek to obtain compensation for damage resulting from events of contamination and pollution
Risks of environmental, health and safety incidences and liabilities are inherent in many of Eni’s operations and products. Notwithstanding management’s belief that Eni adopts high operational standards to ensure safety of its operations and to protect the environment and health of people and employees, it is possible that incidents like blow outs, oil spills, contaminations and similar events could occur that would result in damage to the environment, employees and communities. The occurrence of any such events could have a material adverse impact on the Group business, competitive position, cash flow, results of operations, liquidity, future growth prospects, shareholders’ return and damage to the Group reputation.
We are exposed to claims under environmental requirements and, from time-to-time, such claims have been made against us. In Italy, environmental requirements and regulations typically impose strict liability. Strict liability means that in some situations we could be exposed to liability for cleanup and remediation costs, natural resource damages, and other damages as a result of our conduct that was lawful at the time it occurred or the conduct of prior operators or other third parties.
We are periodically notified of potential liabilities at Italian sites. These potential liabilities may arise from both historical Eni operations and the historical operations of companies that we have acquired, including a number of industrial sites that the Company disposed of, liquidated, closed or shut down in prior years where Group products have been produced, processed, stored, distributed or sold, such as chemical plants, mineral-metallurgic plants, refineries and other facilities. At those industrial locations Eni has commenced a number of initiatives to restore and cleanup proprietary or concession areas that were allegedly contaminated and polluted by the Group’s industrial activities. Notwithstanding the Group claimed that it cannot be held liable for such past contaminations as permitted by applicable regulations in case of declaration rendered by a guiltless owner i.e. as a result of our conduct that was lawful at the time it occurred, several public administrations have been acting against Eni to claim both the environmental damage and measures to perform additional cleanup and remediation projects in a number of civil and administrative proceedings. We also could be subject to third-party claims, including punitive damages, with respect to environmental matters for which we have been named as a potentially responsible party. Our exposure at these sites may be materially impacted by unforeseen adverse developments both in the final remediation costs and with respect to the final allocation among the various parties involved at the sites.
We expect remedial and cleanup activities at our sites to continue the foreseeable future impacting Eni’s liquidity, as with reference to the balance sheet date the Group has accrued risk provisions to cope with all existing environmental liabilities whereby both a legal or constructive obligation to perform a clean-up or other remedial actions is in place and the associated costs can be reasonably estimated. The accrued amounts represent the management’s best estimates of the Company’s liability.
Management believes that it is possible that in the future Eni may incur significant environmental expenses and liabilities in addition to the amounts already accrued due to: (i) the likelihood of as yet unknown contamination; (ii) the results of ongoing surveys or surveys to be carried out on the environmental status of certain Eni’s industrial sites as required by the applicable regulations on contaminated sites; (iii) unfavourable developments in ongoing litigation on the environmental status of certain Company’s site where a number of public administrations and the Italian Ministry for the Environment act as plaintiffs; (iv) the possibility that new litigation might arise; (v) the probability that new and stricter environmental laws might be implemented; and (vi) the circumstance that the extent and cost of environmental restoration and remediation programs are often inherently difficult to estimate leading to underestimation of the future costs of remediation and restoration.
As a result of those risks, liability for damages arising as a result of environmental laws could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, consolidated results of operations, and consolidated financial condition.
