Through the modernization of the Brod Oil Refinery, the environmental impact is continuously being reduced, and upon its completion, it will be minimized to the lowest possible level, emphasizes Josip Pleslić, director of Nestro Save, the Croatian representative office of the Nestro Group.
The group is owned by the Russian Njeftegazinkor, backed by the Russian energy giant Zarubežnjeft, which decided to respond to frequent media reports about air pollution from the Brod Oil Refinery in a press release.
Namely, given that air quality issues in Slavonski Brod are more pronounced in the winter months, the refinery has decided to undergo regular maintenance from the beginning of November to the end of December this year. The director notes that the Brod Oil Refinery, aware of its environmental impact, is modernizing its facilities, which will, among other things, result in a reduction of negative production impacts on the local community.
– To date, more than 120 million euros have been invested in modernization, and by the end of 2015, or by the end of the modernization process, a total investment of 750 million euros is planned. The realized investments have already positively impacted the reduction of emissions from the refinery, which is confirmed by regular measurements – emphasizes Pleslić, adding that one of the strategic goals is to further reduce emissions and minimize them to the lowest possible level, which is why a comprehensive modernization process has been initiated that will rank the Brod refinery among the most modern refineries in the world.
Since the takeover of the Brod refinery by the Nestro Group, the reconstruction of old facilities and the construction of new ones have been initiated, as well as dialogue with the local community and representatives of local and national authorities in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. The refinery is, says Pleslić, aware that the solution that will enable, on one hand, a better quality of life for citizens, and on the other hand, the normal operation of the refinery until the completion of modernization, lies in constructive dialogue among stakeholders, which is why they have repeatedly invited the mayor of Slavonski Brod for discussions.
– We absolutely support all agreed activities related to improving environmental preservation and reducing negative impacts agreed upon between the relevant ministries of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, such as the development of a catalog of pollutants, and we are ready to actively participate in them – emphasizes Pleslić.
As situations with increased concentrations of certain compounds and substances in the air regularly occur in the winter months, and are almost non-existent in the summer months, although the refinery operates at the same intensity throughout the year, a decision has been made to carry out regular maintenance of the refinery’s facilities precisely during this part of the year.
– In addition to modernization and adjustment of maintenance schedules, the refinery is ready to participate in financing the establishment of an additional measuring station in the city, thereby confirming its commitment to improving the quality of life in Slavonski Brod regarding air quality. We remain open to dialogue and constructive discussions with all interested parties and committed to continuing the modernization of our facilities and achieving a final, mutually satisfactory solution regarding the impact of our operations on the environment and the local community – states Pleslić.
