A wide-ranging programme included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the launch of ‘Estidama’ (Sustainability), PDO’s new energy management campaign, and announcing the winners of the Best Environmental Initiative Award, which was organised by Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA) in collaboration with PDO.
The event was held under the auspices of His Excellency Salim bin Nasser Al Aufi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil and Gas, and attended by PDO’s Managing Director Raoul Restucci, and other prominent officials including Dr. Saif bin Rashid Al Shaqsi, Executive Director of the National Field Research Centre for Environmental Conservation at the Diwan of Royal Court.
Under the terms of the MoU, the Company will partner with The National Field Research Centre for Environment Conservation (NFRC) to exchange knowledge between the two institutions by organising various programmes, training courses, workshops and lectures. NFRC will also look at the possibility of adopting the Lean continuous business improvement way of working in its projects.
Building on its focus on sustainability, PDO launched ‘Estidama’ which will support in centralising the communication for all strategic projects that fall under the banner of energy and the environment under one platform.
The campaign is dedicated to building a positive environmental culture across Oman by focusing on six main pillars: renewable energy, people, energy efficiency, environment, energy saving and economy.
HE Al Aufi praised PDO on its leading role in safeguarding the environment, stressing that the new Estidama campaign “is an excellent communication message.”
He added: “Most times when we talk about energy we focus on renewables. There is little talk about the actual efficiency of the consumption itself and conserving some of the energy that is produced already. Estidama is a great initiative because it sheds light on these highly relevant pillars which are energy efficiency and conservation.”
PDO is currently in the early stages of a transition and expansion from a fossil fuel business to a fully fledged energy company, with a particular emphasis on renewable, especially solar energy.
“Energy management is a critical driver at PDO as we gradually move to a fully fledged energy company and today’s event to mark Oman Environment Day provided us with the opportunity to announce new initiatives in support of this. As part of this energy management and sustainability focus, the MOU and the new ‘Estidama’ campaign will enable us to deliver more value for our immediate stakeholders and indeed the whole of Oman in this key area,” said Managing Director Raoul Restucci.
Moreover, Oman Cement Company (SAOG) was announced as the winner of the Best Environmental Initiative Award which aimed at highlighting the role of companies in serving the environment and creating a sense of shared responsibility towards environment conservation. Hodar Engineering Services LLC and Nafath Renewable Energy scooped second and third prizes respectively.
Today’s celebrations included a tour of PDO green energy initiatives highlighting a range of environmental projects and achievements within the Company including MAF Solar Car Park, Amin Solar PV IPP Project, Miraah and Micro-Turbine Project. Echo nature, an Omani SME exhibited some of their environmentally friendly products.
PDO is committed to ensuring that all its operations and activities are performed in an environmentally sustainable manner. The Company is a pioneer in areas such as water management and solar energy and employs a wide range of energy saving technologies at its installations.
In February, PDO will announce the winners of two competitions that were launched at the 2017 Oman Environment Day. The first was in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. It was aimed at building a positive environmental and research culture across Oman focused on renewable energy by supporting school students to participate in a competition designed to enhance their research and awareness in the field of renewable energy.
The second with the Public Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises (Riyada), aimed to encourage and support a platform for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to participate and compete through an innovative competition. It focused on providing solutions for the oil and gas industry to reduce energy consumption and to utilise renewable resources across the sector.