Petrovietnam pioneers in environmental protection

The oil and gas exploration and production activities of Petrovietnam as well as its domestic and foreign partners are concentrated mainly on the sea. Unlike other industries, to ensure environmental safety in our country’s oil and gas activities of special characteristics, many complicated problems should be solved such as: Responding to oil spills; treatment of drilling fluids and drilling mud from oil and gas works at sea; waste management for oil and gas activities at sea; treatment of waste gas and wastewater in the refining - petrochemical industry, fertilizer, petroleum chemical, power generation industry; treatment of wastewater from oil and gas projects at sea; environmental treatment when clearing fields…

During the development process, Petrovietnam’s safety, health and environment management has been and will always be built in the direction of strict compliance with the legal regulations on environmental protection of Vietnam, the international conventions to which Vietnam is a contracting party, at the same time constantly improving technology as well as investing in new technologies to help reduce emissions to the environment and minimize unwanted risks. 

Along with that development orientation, Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries continue to commit to activities, products and services in strict compliance with all provisions of the law and standards on environmental safety. Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries actively control and minimize risks related to the environment and people, enhance responsibility to the community. 

In addition to the achievements in production and business, Petrovietnam constantly applies all appropriate measures to eliminate and minimize the risks of harm to human health and life, damage to property and the environment, well implement the goals on environmental health safety.

PV GAS employees actively participate in collecting garbage, cleaning Ba Ria - Vung Tau beach

Environmental protection associated with petroleum culture

Petrovietnam’s strategy is to develop sustainably, in association with protecting the ecological environment, and ensuring national security. At the same time, Petrovietnam advocates conducting research on the energy transition roadmap, developing renewable energy sources, combining the encouragement of investment and the use of advanced, energy-saving and environment-friendly technology and equipment in order to improve production and business efficiency and save costs. 

With the motto “Environmental protection associated with petroleum culture”, Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries have synchronously and comprehensively implemented measures to protect the environment in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese and international environmental law. All oil and gas works and projects newly implemented as well as under operation of Petrovietnam are strictly in compliance with the provisions of Vietnamese law. 

Dropping oil boom, collecting oil by Oil Skimmer into temporary oil storage tanks, towing tankers out of the incident area in a rehearsal

Petrovietnam conducts review and updates the policy on environmental health safety in accordance with the reality and operational context of Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries. In general, the policy on environmental health safety of Petrovietnam has been thoroughly understood to all Petrovietnam subsidiaries with the same goal of protecting the environment, human health, strictly complying with the provisions of the law, appropriately responding to climate change, while ensuring safe and efficient production activities. 

Typical for the environmental protection movement at Petrovietnam, in 2021, Vung Tau Low Pressure Gas Distribution Enterprise (under Petrovietnam Low Pressure Gas Distribution Joint Stock Company) implemented the program of Action Month for the Environment in response to World Environment Day (5th June) and International Day for Biological Diversity (22nd May) in the context of complicated development of the Covid-19 epidemic. The company propagated and implemented practical and creative programs, which had a strong influence on the awareness of all employees who joined hands to restore the ecosystem and conserve biodiversity. 

Water spray service vessel ready to approach target during oil spill rehearsal

Along with that, in response to the Action Month for the Environment, the World Environment Day and the International Day for Biological Diversity in 2021, Petrovietnam Trade Union and its affiliates implemented practical action programs. With the theme of World Environment Day “Restoring the ecosystem” and the theme of International Day for Biological Diversity “We are part of the solution - For nature”, many movements to emulate and mobilize laborers to clean the environment, plant trees, collect and treat waste, preserve the landscape of enterprises, offices and factories were instructed by Petrovietnam Trade Union to its affiliates and enterprises to actively implement,  combine with disseminating of the Law on Environmental Protection, introducing models and solutions to restore ecosystems, conserve biodiversity, and encourage workers not to use non-biodegradable plastic bags and single-use plastic products. 

In particular, actively responding to the Prime Minister’s Project “Growing 1 billion trees” in the 2021-2025 period, Petrovietnam has developed Plan No. 1237/KH-DKVN dated 17th March 2022 on the implementation of the program to plant 3 million trees throughout Petrovietnam in the period of 2022-2025 and set aside land to plant trees at factories, workshops, offices, and campus of the dormitories. 

Petrovietnam’s policy on environmental health safety is constantly being updated and renewed to meet new requirements on environmental protection, especially in the context the Environmental Protection Law 2020 has been promulgated with many new requirements for the environmental protection and adaptation to climate change. Petrovietnam’s policy on environmental health safety has demonstrated the commitment of Petrovietnam’s leaders to the objectives and resources for implementing environmental health safety.

For the sake of sustainable development

It must be affirmed that environmental management system is always an important and inseparable part of the environmental health safety management system. In order to minimize the environmental impact from production and business activities and towards the goal of sustainable development, Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries always well implement environmental protection measures in accordance with the provisions of the current environmental law. 

 Petrovietnam and its subsidiaries regularly organize oil spill response rehearsal

During the implementation of oil and gas exploration and production projects at sea, Petrovietnam and oil and gas contractors always conduct surveys of the base environment and the environment after drilling, during oil and gas production. All projects are researched and made an environmental impact assessment report or committed to, and develop an environmental protection plan for the investment project in accordance with the law, in which measures and plans are proposed to prevent and reduce environmental impacts, especially areas that need to be prioritized for protection (marine protected areas, national parks, world biosphere reserves, areas with the presence of rare species of animals and plants listed in the IUCN Red Book or the Vietnam Red Book). Commitments and measures to achieve the following purposes: Reducing waste; treating generated wastes up to Vietnamese standards and regulations and international standards before discharging into the environment; minimizing non-waste impacts such as physical disturbance, noise, vibration…

The monitoring of waste sources is carried out according to the system, keeping records and reports according to regulations. The classification, temporary storage, transportation and treatment of solid and hazardous wastes are arranged with adequate resources and specific instructions, ensuring to minimize the risk of harm to the environment and community, comply with the provisions of law. In addition, Petrovietnam requires its subsidiaries to regularly inspect and evaluate waste sources from their activities, thereby clearly identifying risks and environmental impacts to implement appropriate mitigation activities. 

After more than 60 years since Vietnam oil and gas industry began to form and develop, up to now, although the field of operation is very wide with large scale, Petrovietnam has not had a serious environmental incident. For the oil and gas industry, this can be credited as a feat. 

Petrovietnam is always deeply aware of its responsibility to control and guide its subsidiaries and foreign partners to comply with legal regulations on environmental health safety. In Vietnam, Petrovietnam is a pioneer in the field of environmental health safety, gradually perfecting guidelines for safety and environmental control, responding to industry-specific incidents, and meeting the requirements of the international oil and gas industry. 

Right from the first exploratory drills performed in 1992, in the absence of a Law on Environmental Protection in Vietnam, Petrovietnam actively prepared an environmental impact assessment report for that drilling activity. Over time, Petrovietnam’s activities have expanded from upstream to downstream. Environmental health safety work has also changed and improved in line with Petrovietnam’s activities. 

Currently, the environmental health safety management system of Petrovietnam has been completed, regularly updated and uniformly applied from the Group to its subsidiaries and affiliates. Petrovietnam’s environmental health safety management system is considered to be the most advanced management system among enterprises in our country today.  

Along with the advice of international organizations (PSA, NCA, KLIF...), Petrovietnam has made continuous efforts in coordinating with state management agencies to develop and complete documents on occupational health and safety management, oil spill response and environmental protection, in order to ensure the safety of people, environment and property in all oil and gas activities. 

Petrovietnam’s subsidiaries and affiliates have now established specialized organizations on environmental health safety with a team of professional staff that are trained and provided with adequate equipment to be able to complete their assigned tasks. There are specialized units on environmental health safety equipped with modern facilities at international or regional level such as environmental and biological laboratories, oil spill response units, teams for anti-eruption from wells, specialized fire fighting ships... Besides, Petrovietnam has participated in scientific research specifically for the field of environmental health safety, carried out many scientific research works of practical value. 

It can be affirmed the environmental health safety work, especially on Petrovietnam’s offshore oil and gas projects, has made great contributions to Petrovietnam’s operation in the core field of oil and gas exploration and production. This is also a solid foundation for Petrovietnam to overcome challenges and ensure safety for continued sustainable development in the future.