Environment

Environmental stewardship is a prime motivation as we manage transportation of crude oil from Keamari Port in Karachi to our refinery in Mahmoodkot, through 864 km pipeline which is approximately 740 ft above sea level. The pipeline ensures that each drop of crude oil is transported to MCR without effecting the environment.

We have leak detection and emergency shutdown systems, corrosion protection, and microwave towers for communication, SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system to avoid leakages, thefts and intermediate storage tanks at 5 different pumping stations.

Impact on the environment from the refining process is controlled by treating and managing emissions. Low NOx (Nitrous Oxide) burners and Sulfur removal from fuel gases are examples.

PARCO`s Effluent Treatment Plant has a capacity of 340 m3/hr. Waste water from the refinery is collected and through skimming, neutralization, dissolved air floatation, aeration, clarification, filtration and drying operations, the effluent water is brought within NEQs limits before discharge into local drainage or reuse for plants.

Ensuring that we adhere to the highest environmental standards, all contractors’ equipment is checked for compliance to NEQS. All effluents are checked and verified regularly before discharging by third-party EPA (Environment Protection Agency) approved Labs to comply with NEQS.

PARCO proactively works to ensure that its products and fuels are environment friendly. Our products, including Gasoline and High Speed Diesel, comply with the Euro II standard. These environment friendly fuels contribute significantly to reducing harmful emissions.

PARCO was the first refinery in Pakistan to install a Diesel Hydro Desulphurization (DHDS) plant, producing High Speed Diesel conforming to EURO II standards. This product is helping EURO II compliant automobiles to perform better by being fuel efficient with low emissions.

We perform third party (EPA certified) ground water monitoring of the surrounding areas of PARCO Refinery and Corporate Headquarters twice a year, to ensure that the community nearby is using safe underground water. There are different parameters that are tested: pH, Color, TDS, Taste and Odor, Total Hardness, Faecal Coliform, Coliform Organisms, Arsenic, Chloride, Sulphate, Iron, Cyanide, Lead, Selenium, etc.

Ambient air monitoring at 1 and 2 Km distance around PARCO’s Mid-Country Refinery (MCR) is also done twice a year by EPA certified third party. We monitor elements such as NOx, SOx, CO, and particulate matter to ensure the air quality remains within acceptable levels.

As a member of World Wide Fund for Nature Pakistan (WWF-P), PARCO helps in conservation of nature, with several initiatives other than those mentioned above, to its credit. One of our major focus areas is fostering environmental education among local communities.

In designing and aligning its oil pipelines routes, especially those involved in the transportation of crude oil, environmental matters were addressed and the requirements of Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fully complied with. Moreover, our pipelines are equipped with a state-of-the-art system to prevent accidental spills. No property on the World Heritage List is impacted, e.g., rerouting PARCO pipelines around Lake Manchar was undertaken at a heavy cost to preserve the natural environment of this lake.