Careful management of water is still the best way of conserving resources, and can be achieved by developing closed or semi-closed loop systems
Until 2000, the open cooling systems at the Provence Refinery used 4,500 cubic meters of water per hour, or around 40 million cubic meters a year, taken from a nearby lake, Etang de Berre. This amount was nearly halved with the September 2000 commissioning of a semi-closed treated freshwater system in the eastern part of the site. The same principle was applied to the western part of the site in early 2003, reducing the plant’s water consumption by 90% from pre-2000 levels. The system also offers two other major avantages : it prevents accidental releases of hydrocarbons and heat pollution.

View of the Provence Refinery’s water tower