PDO is continually striving to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, so that future generations of Omanis can enjoy the Sultanate’s bounteous natural resources.

In addition, PDO has learned that improving its environmental performance often also improves the efficiency of its operations, it says on its website.
PDO has taken on this enormous responsibility by committing itself to continuously improve its performance in this regard. Some of the things the Company has implemented to this end are:
• Environmental impact assessments to anticipate – and if possible prevent – environmental damage due to project-related activities even before a project has been initiated;
• A huge collection, storage and treatment infrastructure to manage the solid, liquid and gaseous wastes produced from PDO’s operations;
• The professionalism of technical-support staff specialising in environmental issues; and
• Compliance with the environmental legislation set by the Ministry of Regional Municipalities, Environment & Water Resources and the maintenance of the ISO14001 certification for its company-wide environmental management system.
Planning and review of the Company’s environmental performance is carried on a regular basis, and compliance with its environmental management system is enforced.
The company is also organises workshops for its staff and contractors on environmental auditing, operating in sensitive environments and conducting of environmental impact assessments.
In addition, it has introduced new conservation technologies to Oman.
Land and waste management
Over the years, PDO has built a rather large infrastructure in conjunction with its environmental management system.
In fact, the Company operates its own waste management facilities, which include: sewage treatment plants, hazardous and non-hazardous waste facilities, chemical waste disposal areas and a storage yard for naturally occurring radioactive materials.
PDO also maintains “land farms” for treating oily soil by means of biodegration.
In addition to the above, waste recycling is an integral part of the environmental management strategy in PDO.
All the empty oil or chemical drums are crushed and sent for recycling, discarded wood is recycled by a local company to produce charcoal and iron pipes and other metallic wastes are sold as scrap.
The possibility of recycling plastic waste and tyres is currently being investigated.
Emission of greenhouse gases
Since 1980, PDO has tried to capture and utilise the gas that is produced with oil in order to conserve gas reserves and minimise the impact on the environment.
In previous years it was common practice throughout the industry to burn such “associated” gas in a flare or merely vent it into the atmosphere.
It is the Company’s objective to reduce the continuous flaring or venting of gas to a residual level. (Some flaring or venting of gas at production facilities is needed for safety reasons from time to time.)
The Company has also phased out the use of chlorofluorocarbon gases (which are thought to contribute to global warming) in all of its operations.
Water management
PDO’s oil wells also produce water – sometimes a lot of it. The volume of this “produced water” has been increasing steadily over time.
PDO has formulated a strategy for dealing with this growing challenge. The strategy, which has been endorsed by the Government of Oman, is based on the following five principles, given in order of priority:
• Minimise the volume of water produced during oil extraction;
• Maximise the re-use of produced water;
• Phase-out the disposal of produced water in shallow wells, thereby avoiding the chance of contaminating exploitable aquifers;
• Return produced water to the reservoir formations from which it came; and
• Dispose the surplus produced water to formations bearing water with a salinity greater than 35,000 mg/l and, in certain cases, monitor the injected water’s underground movement.
Biodiversity conservation
Biodiversity, a common heritage of mankind, is an important aspect of PDO’s operations.
Desert ecology training has been developed, aiming to raise the knowledge of the company field staff on the valuable desert ecology of Oman.
The workshops usually take place in environmental sensitive areas within our concession area, such as the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary and Desert woodland.
PDO has also published some educational and illustrative environmental booklets and posters in an attempt to illustrate the positive action to protect the environment and to raise awareness among its employees and the communities.
Marine environment of Mina Al Fahal
Mina Al Fahal is of primary importance to the economy of Oman being the export point of crude oil via Terminal and Offshore Operations at Single Buoy Moorings (SBMs).
Many studies have been carried out on the marine environments of Mina Al Fahal and the overall conclusion is that industrial activities both onshore and offshore have negligible impacts on the marine environments studied in Mina Al Fahal.