Balancing water supply
Water is one of the key resources required in the Group’s day-to-day operations, and raising the efficiency of water use and preventing related environmental accidents remain priority areas.
As a part of our five-year environmental targets, we aim to achieve a 10% reduction in fresh water consumption compared to the baseline of 2016. In 2018, the total volume of fresh water consumed for production needs stood at 226.49 million m3, and in the past three years the overall decline in water withdrawn has been 31%The figure comprises data on EVRAZ ZSMK (incl. Evrazruda), EVRAZ NTMK, EVRAZ KGOK, EVRAZ DMZ (sold in 2018), Raspadskaya Coal Company, Yuzhkoks (sold in 2017), Evraz Sukha Balka (sold in 2017), Nakhodka Trade Sea Port (sold in 2017), Vametco (sold in 2017), Mezhegeyugol Coal Company, Evraz Caspian Steel, Evraz Palini e Bertoli, EVRAZ Vanady Tula, Evraz Stratcor, Inc., EVRAZ Nikom, a.s., EVRAZ Inc. NA, EVRAZ Inc. NA Canada.. Compared with 2017, EVRAZ fresh water consumption has fallen by approximately 93 million m3, which has occurred largely due to the exclusion of some assetsEVRAZ DMZ, Yuzhkoks, Nakhodka Trade Sea Port, EVRAZ Sukha Balka, Vametco. whose fresh water consumption comprised around 63 million m3. Water intensity rate (m3 of water used per tonne of steel cast) plummeted by 28.1% in 2018 and equalled to 0.014The figure comprises data on EVRAZ ZSMK (incl. Evrazruda), EVRAZ NTMK, EVRAZ KGOK, EVRAZ DMZ (sold in 2018), Raspadskaya Coal Company, Yuzhkoks (sold in 2017), Evraz Sukha Balka (sold in 2017), Nakhodka Trade Sea Port (sold in 2017), Vametco (sold in 2017), Mezhegeyugol Coal Company, Evraz Caspian Steel, Evraz Palini e Bertoli, EVRAZ Vanady Tula, Evraz Stratcor, Inc., EVRAZ Nikom, a.s., EVRAZ Inc. NA, EVRAZ Inc. NA Canada.. Moreover, fresh water withdrawal intensity (m3 of water used per consolidated revenue) also dropped and reached the level of 17.64, compared with 29.5 in 2017.
The new five-year target is to decrease fresh water consumption by 10% compared with the baseline of 2016. The Group has set 2016 (231 million cubic metres) as a new baseline, taking into account asset exclusion.
Over 86% of total fresh water is used by EVRAZ NTMK, EVRAZ KGOK, and EVRAZ ZSMK. 91% of their needs are covered by surface water, including water from rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Total water consumption at these sites stood at 201.08 million m3, with fresh water making up 97% of this demand.
A large share (92.8%) of water used for our production is formed by a circulating water supply. This method allows us to reduce the annual fresh water intake and to use water sources in a more rational way. In addition, the Group’s sites implement initiatives to boost the efficiency of water use.
In 2018, EVRAZ ZSMK (the Group’s largest water consumer: nearly 47% of fresh water consumption) installed new equipment, which led to a drop in annual wastewater discharges and water intake of around 3 million m3. A new slurry thickening facility for gas cleaners replaced the plant’s slurry storage facility that collected water which was used to purify blast furnace gases. Now water is separated from slurry and used in production processes. Following the installation of new equipment, a 3 million m3 reduction in annual water intake is expected.