Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensure access to drinking water and good sanitation conditions for all.
Ensure access to drinking water and good sanitation conditions for all.
The use of water resources at NIS is essential for both the oil production process (upstream) and the oil refining process (downstream), as well as for other operational needs. In addition to its use in production and technological processes such as steam generation and cooling systems operation, water at NIS is also utilized for fire protection, for cooling the tanks, bottling of drinking water, washing the vehicles, and equipment.
The goal of continuously reducing the use of fresh water is an important objective for the company. The most significant water resource is the Danube river, which is also the least sensitive water resource. Of the total water taken, 82 percent is from the Danube – for the needs of refinery processes. At the Pančevo Oil Refinery, demineralized and filtered water is prepared for the operation of the combined-cycle power plant (TETO-Pančevo), which has led to an increase in the amount of water abstracted by the company in 2023: by 15% more than in 2022. The amount of the Danube water abstracted for the needs of the Pančevo Oil Refinery is at a level of 145 l/s, which represents only 0.0028 percent of the Danube’s average annual flow.
The generated wastewater may be the following:
At NIS, all wastewater is properly treated and only treated wastewater is discharged into the final recipient released irrespective of the type of the recipient, while all in compliance with the water permit, water management requirements, and other compulsory documents (IPPC permit, environmental impact study) and legal regulations. There are 417 wastewater treatment facilities in total.
In 2023, the installation of piezometers continued with the aim of monitoring the quality of groundwater and the impact of NIS company’s business activities on the environment – 27 new piezometers were installed at various locations. Within the project of reconstruction of existing wastewater treatment facilities and the construction of new ones, 11 new separators for water treatment were installed.
Last year, significant attention was paid to obtaining water permits and improving collaboration with relevant local, provincial, and state authorities, aiming to obtain and extend these permits. Efforts were also focused on identifying locations where it will be necessary to replace or reconstruct wastewater treatment facilities and the accompanying infrastructure in the upcoming period.
One of the company’s accompanying activities is bottling and the sale of potable water from the Jazak spring. The high-quality mineral-rich spring water of distinctive taste and optimal mineral composition, originates from one of the purest natural water springs on the Fruška Gora Mt., produced according to the most stringent standards in this segment. The water is available as a consumer brand at all NIS Petrol and Gazprom filling stations and in retail stores on the Serbian market, in more than 8000 outlets in total.
In 2023, there were no accidents or spills of pollutants in NIS company, that would have impacted surface or groundwater bodies.
