Qatargas has won the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) Environment Award for 2015 in the “Best Industrial Establishment that Complies with Environmental Regulations and Standards” category.
Qatargas is a joint winner in this category along with Bahrain’s Gulf Petrochemicals Company. The award follows a series of regional and international recognitions Qatargas has received recently for its strong performance in areas related to environment and sustainability.
The GCC Environment and Wildlife Award is one of the most prestigious recognitions in the region aimed at encouraging individual and collective initiatives undertaken to preserve the environment and wildlife, inspiring innovation and creativity to contribute towards sustainable development while raising awareness on key environmental topics in the GCC states.
In a ceremony held in Doha recently, HE the Minister of Environment Ahmed Amer Mohamed al-Humaidi presented the award to Qatargas CEO Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa al-Thani. Also present on the occasion were GCC Secretary General Dr Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani and senior officials from the ministries of environment of GCC states.
Sheikh Khalid said: “We are delighted to win this prestigious award, which is a testament to Qatargas’ robust environmental performance and its total compliance with the international and local environmental standards and regulations. This recognition underscores once again the effectiveness of the sustainability strategy we follow in all our actions while helping to meet the global demand for reliable and cleaner sources of energy.”
He added: “As a leader in the global energy industry, Qatargas has made significant contributions to a sustainable future for our country and the world at large. Over the past few years, we have made huge financial investments in reducing our carbon footprint, improving air quality, reducing and recycling waste, and judicious use of water.”
The GCC Secretariat-General has instituted this award in 1996, which seeks to play an effective role in the preservation of the environment and conservation of natural resources and at the same time stimulate society in the Gulf to foster a more caring attitude towards the regional environment.
The award consists of seven categories, including the best research works in the fields of environment studies and wildlife. The award for Best Media Work, including Environmental Journalism for printed media, Best Documentary Film, Best Investigative Journalism, Best Photography, and the Best Article, which is divided into two sub-categories: one for high school students and another for individuals of 18 years and above.
The fourth category is for the Best Protected Area in the GCC countries, while the fifth is for the Best Volunteer Work in the Field of Environment and Wildlife. In addition to the award for Environmental Awareness on Nature and Wildlife, the recognition is also extended to the Best Industrial Establishment that complies with the environmental regulations and standards.
Qatargas participated in the award with an exhaustive report on its environmental performance listing the measures taken by the company in complying with all the relevant international and local environmental regulations and guidelines.
Qatargas’ approach to environmental management is aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 objective of sustaining the environment for our future generations. Qatargas continues to promote the use of state-of-the-art solutions to further improve the environmental performance of its production facilities.
The company’s key environmental focus areas have been compliance, flare reduction, GHG and air emissions management, wastewater recycling and reuse and waste management. Environmental awareness and environmental data management were added to these focus areas in 2014.
Compliance with Qatar environmental regulations and international conventions ratified by Qatar is fundamental to Qatargas’ business. Every year, the company maintains compliance with its Consent to Operate (CTO) environmental permits issued by the Ministry of Environment and received two new CTOs in 2014 for its Diesel Hydrotreater (DHT) and Jetty Boil-off Gas Recovery (JBOG) facilities. Qatargas now has 13 active CTOs, renewed on an annual basis and each with extensive compliance, monitoring and reporting requirements.
The GCC Environment Award follows a series of regional and international recognitions Qatargas has received recently. In November 2015, Qatargas’ Shipping Department won for the second consecutive year, two prestigious awards from the British Safety Council for its commitment to achieving excellent standards of health, safety and environmental management.
In October 2014, Qatargas won the Arabia Corporate Social Responsibility Award in the “Large Size Enterprise” category across the Mena region.