RUBIS - 2019 Universal Registration Document

4 CSR AND NON-FINANCIAL INFORMATION - Limiting our environmental impact and operating in a safe environment

4.2.2.4 USE OF RESOURCES

In the storage business , the main sources of water consumption are fire drills and the dosing of liquid fertilizers. This usual consumption is increased by occasional water requirements resulting from the filling of new bulk tanks with water (resistance tests). The refining activity (support and services) consumes water mainly through its industrial transformation processes (boilers, etc.) and In the activities with the highest level of consumption (storage and refining), significant efforts are made to reduce the net consumption of fresh water: • the use of rainwater for refilling fire reservoirs and for dosing fertilizer. The facilities concerned have dedicated collection tanks; • treating wastewater allows Rubis Terminal’s storage sites to report a higher volume of treated wastewater than the volume of freshwater used, as rainwater facilities’ fire-fighting systems. Measures to reduce water consumption

collected on sealed surfaces is also treated. In the Rubis Énergie refinery, all process water is collected and treated before being discharged into a modern residual water treatment unit. Systematic sampling and regular analyses make it possible to check that the water discharged after the various treatment stages complies with regulatory standards; • the investment project aimed at producing industrial water at the Rubis Énergie refinery by way of sea water desalination (based on the principle of reverse osmosis) will significantly reduce the net consumption of fresh water. This project, called Green Water, is under way (civil works, piping) and should make it possible to cover all the refinery’s industrial water requirements (capacity of 30 m 3 /h for demineralization lines and 5 m 3 /h for service water requirements). Start-up of operations is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2020 and should reduce the refinery’s municipal water consumption by 80%. Domestic water (sanitary, kitchens) will continue to be supplied via the drinking water system (see inset below).

In line with principles of good governance of its activities, the Group makes optimum use of the natural resources required by its value chain, a key component of its corporate responsibility (section 4.2.2.4.1). In addition, although Rubis produces little waste, it ensures that quantities are restricted, and waste is recycled (section 4.2.2.4.2). 4.2.2.4.1 CONSERVATION OF WATER RESOURCES Risks The Group’s activities, especially storage and refining, are not only dependent on water consumption, but may even have a negative impact on water resources. The distribution of petroleum products does not require the recurrent and significant use of water for industrial processes. Water is consumed in only very limited quantities for fire drills and periodic checks of storage tanks, as well as for washing and requalification of LPG cylinders at cylinder filling plants.

RESULTS

Water used*

Water treated*

2019

2019

2018

2018

(in m 3 )

Storage activity (Rubis Terminal) Refining activity (Rubis Énergie)

259,185 227,894

182,205 232,304

453,512 92,208

428,910

101,027 * The water used and/or treated can be either standing (reservoirs or lakes) or flowing water (rivers) above ground, sea water, groundwater or water from the distribution network supplying the site. Discharged water is abstracted water, plus, on occasion, rainwater.

Since 2018, water consumption by the storage activity (Rubis Terminal) has been optimized. Nevertheless, in 2019, the increase in water consumption corresponds to hydraulic tests performed on tanks, after

repair or construction. With respect to treated water, as this is essentially rainwater, the change corresponds to the change in rainfall at the sites.

Water consumption related to the refining activity (Rubis Énergie) is slightly down and remains below the regulatory threshold prescribed in the prefec tural decree authorizing the operation of the refinery.

GREEN WATER PROJECT: REDUCING THE REFINERY’S DRINKING WATER FOOTPRINT

With the Green Water project, the Société Anonyme de la Raffinerie des Antilles (SARA) aims to replace water from the domestic system with raw industrial water treated on-site for use on-site. The refinery has opted for sea water abstraction that will undergo a series of treatments to turn it into “industrial raw water”. Thus, using the principle of reverse osmosis, the water will first be desalinated and then demineralized (other mineral salts removed) in order to fuel the plant’s boilers. After treatment, the amount of water abstracted from the sea will be sufficient to cover all the refinery's requirements. Following osmosis, the salt-concentrated water will be mixed with the water treated by the SARA treatment plant, producing water with salinity close to that of seawater, prior to discharge. The local impact will be very favorable, as SARA will use almost no mains water, whereas until now it was the largest consumer in Martinique. Moreover, its discharges will be very similar to sea water in quality, which will prevent it from altering the balance of the marine environment.

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