As the world commemorates UN World Water Day this year and its theme of the “water-energy nexus”, Shell is helping to raise awareness of the linkages between the world’s water and energy systems and the need for integrated solutions.
This includes public dialogue events throughout the year, profile on Shell.com and in social media, and an upcoming web chat on the role of gas in Asia to take a closer look at future energy challenges impacting the region.
For the past few years, Shell has been active in finding ways to address the water-energy nexus in its operations, scenarios* work, and by hosting public dialogue events. This is because the world’s water and energy systems are tightly linked. Most forms of energy production need water, and energy is needed to transport and treat water. The world’s growing population and increased prosperity will put pressure on global demand for energy, as well as on food and water supplies in the coming decades. This relationship between energy, water and food is appearing on the agendas of governments, NGOs and businesses, including Shell.
“Shell recognises the growing resource stresses between energy, water and food, particularly in cities where as much as 75% of the world’s population is expected to live by 2050,” said Jeremy Bentham, Shell’s Vice President for Global Business Environment. “To understand and respond to these challenges, Shell has been bringing experts together from government, non-governmental organisations and other businesses to explore new forms of partnership and collaboration.”
Last month, Shell hosted its signature Powering Progress Together forum in Manila, Philippines to discuss future challenges around water, energy and food stresses, and promote the need for building resilience in companies and in society at large. Philippines was the first country in Asia to host the global platform, welcoming around 350 thought leaders from business, government and civil society. Powering Progress Together events will also be held in Europe, South America and the Middle East during 2014.
In its operations, Shell is working to better manage its water use globally. For example, at major facilities in water-scarce areas, Shell is developing water management plans that include how our operations will minimise water use and even increase water supplies by recycling. Off the coast of Singapore, for instance, Shell’s largest wholly-owned refinery at Bukom island distils seawater to make over 10,000 cubic metres of water every day to produce steam used in refining, conserving fresh water resources for households usage.
Shell facilities use innovative approaches and advanced technologies to manage water, developed with help from a global centre of expertise for water at the Shell Technology Centre in Bangalore, India. In Huizhou, China’s Guangdong province, an atypical process used at a Shell-CNOOC petrochemicals joint venture complex, saves at least 5.5 million tonnes of water every year, enough to fill up a small-sized reservoir.
Customised water recycling systems to reduce the amount of water we use from local sources are one example of the innovative approaches Shell is developing and implementing at several of its operations around the world, including the Netherlands, Canada and South Africa.
Beyond its operations, Shell works closely with local water authorities to develop solutions that benefit both Shell and local communities. In a remote Punjab town, eight hours away from the border metropolis of Lahore, Pakistan, a recent survey of ground and municipal water supplies showed high levels of bacteria content were rendering fresh water supplies not potable for the local community. In response, Shell installed a water filtration plant to purify ground water to benefit over 5,000 community members.
Realising that water-energy nexus issues are intrinsically linked with energy challenges, and to continue extending our focus on both, Shell is organising a web chat led by Roger Bounds, the Vice President of Shell’s global LNG business and a team of Shell experts on the role of natural gas in Asia on April 17, 2014. To register for this web chat and other Shell dialogues on the future of energy, visit http://www.shelldialogues.com/gasinasia.