2024 ESG Report FINAL - Report - Page 28
Water Management
Water management is a critical component of our
business, and we continue to work with stakeholders
to improve our performance, while also reducing
consumption by:
Water risk management is integrated into
our operational and long-term planning
to mitigate and reduce water risks.
• Taking a risk-based approach to water management
and integrating water strategy and water security
into our long-term planning and business processes.
• Engaging with local governments, industry
associations, suppliers and regulatory agencies to
develop innovative solutions in water management
and conservation in water-stressed areas.
• Assessing and managing regional water risks
through updated sustainability assessments.
• Ensuring compliance with water management laws
and regulations.
• Reporting on risks posed by water scarcity on each
facility, as applicable.
• Protecting existing water resources through sound
water management policies.
• Recycling and reusing water to improve ef昀椀ciency.
Most of our water consumption takes place in our re昀椀ning
operations. Based on the revised version of the World
Resources Institute’s Water Risk Atlas tool, Aqueduct, we
determined that three of our 15 re昀椀neries are located in
regions with high baseline water stress. Reduction and
mitigation initiatives include the evaluation of reused
municipal wastewater for cooling tower purposes and
acquisition of secured water rights. Water scarcity can
be a risk not only to communities but also to the re昀椀ning
operations, as water is needed for cooling, heating and
processing.
We have taken several steps to secure our operations in
conditions of water scarcity.
• At our Wilmington re昀椀nery, we are installing facilities
to use treated municipal wastewater to supplement
our cooling tower makeup water. Upon project
completion, we expect to save up to 420 million
gallons of potable water per year, equivalent to
roughly the annual amount consumed by 3,800 U.S.
households.44
• Our Three Rivers re昀椀nery recycles treated
wastewater for use in irrigation for hay production.
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High-ef昀椀ciency cooling towers are used to
cool process water for reuse.
• Our McKee re昀椀nery recently commissioned a
novel Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis Treatment
technology to treat and reuse brine (water with high
concentration of salt) instead of freshwater in the
cooling tower process, which is expected to replace
25 million gallons of water annually from the Ogallala
Aquifer.
• Our Corpus Christi re昀椀neries pay into a broad
industry fund that provides water-supply security
and supports research and plans for the construction
of a desalination facility to serve industrial users.
• Our Welcome ethanol plant was one of the industry’s
昀椀rst operators to achieve “zero discharge” of
wastewater by recovering and recycling process
water and stormwater.
• Process water and stormwater are treated as
necessary before discharging or reusing. Our
wastewater treatment plants are generally
comparable to and as effective as those operated by
most cities.
