Environmental Performance
Prevention of Air Pollution
To reduce the impact of our business operations on air quality, we monitor our emissions and air quality and take measures to prevent air pollution in line with the laws and regulations of countries in which we operate our projects, and international good practice.
Atmospheric pollutants emitted from our project sites include sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrous oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In our operator projects, we manage emissions by identifying the sources of atmospheric pollutants—such as production processes, fuel combustion facilities, venting of natural gas, and shipment by tank trucks—and measuring the amount of emissions released.
Our Group-wide SOx emissions decreased by around 91% to 94 tons in FY2023 compared to FY2022. Our NOx emissions, at 3,456 tons, down approximately 13% from the previous fiscal year.. Non-methane VOC (NMVOC) emissions were 2,651tons, down approximately 38% from the previous fiscal year. This decrease was mainly due to the reduction in flaring activities—which contain high concentrations of NMVOCs—in the Ichthys LNG Project. With this reduced flaring and stable operations at the Ichthys LNG Project, we also confirmed a reduction in PM emissions as well.
Changes in SOx emissions in
Japan & overseas
Unit: Ton
Annual NOx emissions in
Japan & overseas
Unit: Ton
Annual NMVOC emissions in Japan & overseas
Unit: Ton
Use of freshwater
Annual Freshwater intake in Japan and overseas
As one of the resources we utilize in our business operations, we recognize freshwater intake to be a major issue in our water management. We have been working to reduce our impact on water resources by managing the water intake of our operator projects in Japan and overseas, and the discharge of produced water arising from oil and natural gas production. Our operator project sites use freshwater (tap water, industrial water, and groundwater) as coolants, for power generation and excavation work. In FY2023, the volume of freshwater used across the Group totaled 1,625 thousand cubic meters.
In addition to using groundwater for normal cooling and drilling operations in Japan, we also use it for melting snow in winter. We are also taking action to reduce our freshwater consumption, including by adopting a circulating system for cooling water, and equipping snow-melting systems with automatic start and shutoff mechanisms.
Within the Ichthys LNG Project, we conduct investigations into freshwater use with the aim of reducing consumption in its facilities. The findings of these investigations are being used to consider the feasibility of cost-effective approaches for reducing freshwater consumption by reusing water, such as treated wastewater from processing as well as wastewater and condensed steam from power generation facilities.
Use of Seawater
Instead of freshwater, the Ichthys LNG Project offshore production facilities use seawater for cooling, and the Naoetsu LNG Terminal uses it for heat exchange in the vaporizer. Mandatory checks of seawater temperature difference between intake water temperature, waste water temperature and residual chlorine levels, ensure that the marine environment will not be harmed. These checks also guarantee relevant laws and international guidelines are met before the used seawater is discharged back into the sea.
Wastewater Management
Annual produced water discharge in Japan and overseas
Unit: Thousand m3
Water produced from our oil and natural gas projects is reinjected underground, or discharged as wastewater, after being confirmed to comply with the effluent standards in local and international guidelines. In FY2023, 28% of the total produced water (approximately 0.81 million cubic meters) was reinjected, while the remainder was discharged into rivers or seas after treatment.
Annual Waste Output
In FY2023, the total amount of waste generated by the entire Group was approximately 41,000 tons. The amount of waste generated by our operations varies significantly depending on the nature of the work conducted at each business site, such as the presence or absence of drilling operations. In order to identify opportunities for improving waste performance in our operations, which involves identifying the amount and type of waste being generated, as well as promoting initiatives for reuse and recycling, we have categorized the waste generated by routine and non-routine operations1. Additionally, we have aggregated the waste according to the GRI 306 reporting categories since FY2023. Of the approximate 30,000 tons of waste produced in Japan, around 12,000 tons was recycled. The amount generated by our overseas projects was approximately 11,000 tons, around 7,000 tons was recycled. . The actual amounts of waste generated by each of our sites varies considerably depending on their activities. In FY2023, our waste increased mainly in Japan due to drilling work.
For more information, see Performance Data.
1 Excavation-related work, etc.