| Authors |
Clarence Rodrigues, Jeyalal Jeyaseelan and Sreeja Unnithan, The Petroleum
Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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| Source |
Middle East Health, Safety, Security, and Environment Conference and Exhibition,
4-6 October 2010,
Manama, Bahrain
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| Preview |
Abstract
The Petroleum Institute’s (PI) Occupational Carbon Footprint Management Program
is a two-phase program that was initiated in 2008. Some of the major
accomplishments of the first phase included:
a) Developing a method to generate/calculate PI’s carbon footprint
b) Identifying strategies for reducing PI’s carbon footprint
c) Identifying major areas of energy/resource consumption to reduce costs
In 2009 (phase 2), some of the major accomplishments included:
a) Developing and implementing strategies indentified in Phase 1
b) Measuring the results of these strategies
c) Improving estimates of PI’s carbon footprint through enhanced data
collection
d) Increasing awareness among the PI on energy conservation and
sustainability
This paper discusses the second phase of the program and details the various
initiatives that were implemented to manage and reduce the Institute’s carbon
footprint and energy usage. One initiative in particular, of controlling
building temperatures during business and non-business hours through HVAC
adjustments, generated savings of 837,833 AED, representing a 23% savings over
the previous year. Electricity use accounted for almost 90% of the PI’s carbon
footprint also making it the largest source of energy consumption. The greatest
contributor to electricity consumption was the energy used to run the HVAC
system. This paper will also detail the methodology used to develop PI’s
composite carbon footprint which totaled 13,253.5 metric tons of eCO2 for 2009.
This value was reduced to 13,241.4 metric tons of eCO2 by an offset of 12.1
tCO2e due to recycling. Other carbon footprint reduction strategies will also
be discussed including a lighting and lunimaries analysis study, awareness and
education on sustainability, a water conservation project and the ecnouraged
use of public transportation.
1. Introduction
The International Energy Agency in its 2009 report titled “CO2 Emissions from
Fuel Combustion Highlights”, supports the link between green-house gas
emissions and global climate change and explains the need for reducing energy
use since its production and consequent use accounts for about 65% of global
anthropogenic green-house gas emissions (International Energy Agency, 2009).
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) group of companies, that includes
the PI, is strongly committed to energy conservation, sustainable development
and protecting the environment as evidenced in its policy statement on Health,
Safety and Environment that is posted on the company’s website. ADNOC’s goals
are to have an HSE performance it can be proud of, be a good neighbor,
contribute to sustainable development and, earn the confidence of customers,
joint venture partners and the society at large (ADNOC, 2005). To demonstrate
that it is serious about these goals, ADNOC began (as of 2008), tracking group
companies’ carbon footprint data through its annual reporting
requirements.
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human
needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only
in the present, but in the indefinite future or in other words "meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs” (United Nations. 1987).
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