Péter Ratatics

Chief Operating Officer

MOL Plc.

Our goal is to integrate economical, environmental and social factors into our business activities in a balanced way to maximize long-term value creation.

Cleaning the groundwater contamination of predecessors

Industry: Energy

Date: 2017

Water


Solutions of the macro-sustainability challenges

Maintaining water quality through the protection of subsoil and surface water by effectively treating all wastewater and effectively managing other related emissions

Further targets:

What´s the solution?

In 2017 MOL Plc and MOL Petrochemicals have started building a 2.4 km long groundwater purification system near Tiszapalkonya. The goal of the companies is to completely eliminate industrial contaminants of the predecessors from the groundwater in the affected areas.

The groundwater protection system consists seventy water extraction wells and an associated plumbing network. The extraction of groundwater can prevent the spread of contamination and start the purification of groundwater.

The construction was preceded by nearly two years of preparation, the most critical stages of which were the planning and the licensing of several owners on the outskirts.

During the process, MOL and MPK organized several residential forums in co-operation with the Municipality, where all interested parties were answered. Open, frank communication was successful, the operation of the groundwater purification system is still highly supported and residents are regularly informed about the water quality of their property and indirectly about the effectiveness of water protection. The water management license for the remediation system is expected to be issued in 2019.

Business connection

The solution is related to the business operation in 2 areas, on the one hand the company fulfills its environmental obligation and the prerequisite for its responsible operation, and on the other hand the operation of the damage management system was integrated into the daily operation.

The direct business advantage comes from the fact that about 1 million m3 of water from the damage management system is used as raw water in MPK technologies per year. The most important feature of the extracted water – compared to the surface water of the main water source, the Tisza – is that it is sediment-free and has a stable low temperature, so its preparation and pre-treatment requires less effort.

Results

The main results are the effective protection of the groundwater, the management of the risk of industrial pollution and the further utilization of the extracted groundwater.

The effects of the solution are well quantifiable; the quantity and quality of the water used in the operation is controlled, and the water used is impermeable and stable at low temperatures, so its preparation and pre-treatment requires less effort.

The success of the solution will provide an incentive to investigate remediation water utilization options at additional locations and with additional solutions.