The CLH Group has invested over 40 million euros in environmental projects over the last three years

• The company has a sustainability strategy in place with the aim of becoming a carbon-neutral company by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreements and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The CLH Group has invested over 40 million euros in environmental projects over the last three years to improve environmental protection and reduce the impact of its operations on the environment.

In order to discern its environmental impact, the company performs a regular and systematic environmental assessment via its Environmental Management System, which is subjected to audits to identify the points for improvement, and it monitors the initiatives for commitment to the principles of sustainable development of all its activities.

The company calculates its carbon footprint every year in order to design and implement actions that reduce emissions and enable an increase in the sustainability of its operations, as well as measuring the efficiency of the projects launched and assessing their progress.

In line with the Paris Agreements and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the CLH Group has put in place a sustainability strategy mainly aimed at reducing its CO₂ emissions by 50% by 2025 and becoming a zero-emissions company by 2050. This strategy comprises four lines of action aimed at reducing net GHG emissions, reinforcing biodiversity protection and the use of efficient resources, as well as collaborating with the oil industry in the development of eco-fuels.

Based on this plan and with the purpose of reducing electricity consumption and its related emissions, the company has signed a renewable energy PPA for the next 10 years and has modernised the lighting system at its terminals with high-efficiency LED technology lights.  Furthermore, the diesel pump units at its facility in Loeches have been replaced with electric equipment and an analysis is currently under way to extend this project to other facilities.

In this regard, the company has also commissioned a tanker ship equipped with the latest technology to reduce SOx and NOx emissions and is promoting the incorporation of low-emission or hybrid vehicles in its fleet.

CLH has also reached an agreement with the Spanish Oil Operators’ Association (AOP) to promote the development of low-carbon liquid fuels and contribute to the decarbonisation of the sector. It also participates in projects involving the promotion of the use of hydrogen and the recycling of plastic waste to produce liquid fuel.

Along these lines, in 2019 CLH signed an agreement with the American company Plug Power, world leader in the design and marketing of hydrogen fuel cell systems, to extend the use of this energy in Spain to industries and activities in which the use of hydrogen may be the most efficient zero emissions solution.

Moreover, CLH continues to develop other initiatives, such as the use of Drag Reducing Agent (DRA) in pipeline transport and the development of algorithms for additive dosing, thus maximising efficiency in the use of pipeline pumping stations. The company is also adapting boilers at some facilities so that less polluting energy can be used.

As part of its biodiversity protection policy, the company has a Plan for Identification of High Consequence Areas (HCA) that, by means of specific geographical analysis software, defines environmentally sensitive spots in the area surrounding the company’s pipelines.

CLH performs environmental analyses in cooperation with GREFA (Rehabilitation Group for Native Fauna) to measure the integration of the pipelines that run through areas that are especially rich in biodiversity. The analyses carried out have found that their presence does not interfere with the development of the animal and plant species and they highlight the integration of these infrastructures in the environment.

The company is also carrying out biodiversity studies in the vicinity of its facilities. To date, 12 analyses have been performed and have found virtually no impact on surrounding flora and fauna. Additionally, similar analyses are being carrying out to measure the impact on biodiversity of maintenance work performed on the pipelines that run through Protected Natural Areas.

Company systems also ensure that there are no spills of water that has not been treated in its continuous system for the measurement of dissolved hydrocarbon, which returns analysed water to the treatment system if it does not comply with certain criteria. Likewise, the closed-circuit purge systems minimise the pollutant load that is sent to the treatment systems.

All these actions have contributed to CLH renewing once again the ISO 14001 Environmental Certification for its facilities, thus reinforcing its commitment to the best environmental practices.