Caspian Energy (CE): Mr. Aliyev, we kindly request you to provide brief information about the Ekol Engineering Services CJSC you head?
Ramil Aliyev, General Director, Ekol Engineering Services CJSC: Ekol Engineering Services CJSC was established in 2006 by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (51%) and Lancer Environmental Consulting (49%) for addressing environmental problems in the oil industry. The CJSC started operating in the same year.
The scope of activity of the company includes purification of industrial waste waters and paraffin, refining and decantation of oil sludge, recultivation and bioremediation of oil-polluted lands, growing of green plantations and provision of agrotechnical services for plants, installation of irrigation systems, development of normative and technical documentation on ecology, conduction of environmental monitoring, provision of complex laboratory services as well as other ecological services. The Company has introduced international standards ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 through building its activity in compliance with these standards.
Ekol Engineering Services CJSC and the Dutch Company AA Services established AAS-EKOL LLC in 2010. The company passed through state registration on February 1, 2010 and started operating in the field of wastes management.
CE: What kind of ecological projects has your company implemented throughout the period of its activity?
Ramil Aliyev: Starting from 2006 the company has implemented a number of ecological projects, mainly in the areas of SOCAR’s operation, and continued the similar activity in 2014 as well. At the beginning of our activity we were mainly engaged in purification of industrial waste waters which emerged as a result of production processes, treatment and neutralization of oil sludge at Heydar Aliyev Baku Oil Refinery and Azerneftyagh Oil Refinery. Regular implementation of these projects is currently underway. In this regard, Ekol Engineering Services CJSC’s Waste Treatment Department (WTD) is annually purifying 21 mln cubic meters of industrial waste waters coming from the two oil refineries. It also processes and neutralizes a total of 35-40 thousand tons of oil sludge by using the most advanced technologies. The paraffin treatment workshop meeting all modern standards also operates at the service ground of WTD. Every year this workshop separates from water and mechanical impurities about 150-200 tons of paraffin, flowing from AAS-EKOL LLC.
In following years Ekol Engineering Services CJSC also implemented a number of priority ecological projects in order to improve environmental condition in the areas of operations performed by SOCAR. Though these years the Waste Treatment Department and the Land Recovery Department have successfully completed projects on clean-up of soils polluted with oil, recultivation and bio-remediation of oil sludge at field areas of oil-gas production departments Bibiheybat, Absheronneft, Siyazanneft, Balakhanyneft, enlarged oil field Garachukhur, H.Z.Tagiyev and A.Amirov OGPDs operating under Azneft PU. A total of 282 ha field areas were cleaned from oil pollution and remediated on basis of these projects. A total of 512 cubic meters of oil sludge was removed from project areas and undergone bio-remediation during the operations. This work was carried out in full compliance with agrotechnical regulations.
Growing of plants at rehabilitated territories and conduction of land treatment work were one of the main lines of activity of the company. Attaching particular importance to this sphere, we have taken direct part in projects aimed at planting of greenery at oil-field areas rehabilitated by us. Nowadays, CJSC’s Land Recovery Department is providing high level agrotechnical services for different sorts of trees and ornamental bushes at the following facilities: for 8890 units at SOCAR Gas Processing Plant area, for 14,200 units at Azneft PU’s field area (Absheronneft OGPD), for 50,892 units at Bibiheybatneft OGPD and for 5,044 units at H.Z.Taghiyev OGPD. Moreover, Ekol Engineering Services CJSC together with Azneft PU conduct targeted activities for expansion of green areas.
The greenhouse commissioned by CJSC at field area of Bibiheybat OGPD last year has already started yielding positive results. Plants of different sorts of trees and ornamental bushes are grown up in this greenhouse. 10 thousand plants grown up in this greenhouse were used in greenery planting operations through 2013. Necessary measures are currently undertaken for increasing capacity of the greenhouse.
One of the priority and significant environmental projects that Ekol Engineering Services CJSC implements for the capital is removal and stockpiling of oil sludge including its further processing, removal of oil polluted lands and transportation of industrial waste waters to the treatment plants from industrial facilities of Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery and Azerneftyagh Oil Refinery located within the area of the Baki Ag Shexer (Baku White City) project. Implementation of this project, launched since 2010, is carried out intensively. A total of 2.5 mln cubic meters of oil polluted land has been removed from the mentioned territory throughout the implementation of this project. Besides, 288 thousand cubic meters of industrial polluted waters have been transported and cleaned. The project is currently underway.
One of the important projects implemented by the company last year is “Conduction of waste waters away from the area allocated for the construction of the Baku Olympic stadium in Sabunchu district”. This project was performed according to the order of SOCAR Social Development Department. Waste Treatment Department of Ekol Engineering Services CJSC implemented the project on the most qualitative level and in compliance with the schedule envisaged by the agreement. While implementing the project, 1 mln 200 thousand cubic meters of waste waters was removed from the artificial lakes of the mentioned territory. Thus, the project was completed successfully.
Along with it, CJSC’s Ecological Monitoring Department (EMD) provided high level ecological, monitoring and laboratory services to a number of organizations that are subordinate to SOCAR, as well as to other companies-customers. Throughout these years the EMD conducted a purposeful activity for preparation of the environmental normative-technical documentation, its coordination with corresponding bodies and submission to organizations-customers. This work is currently underway.
What work is performed to expand the foreign cooperation of Ekol Engineering Services CJSC?
Ramil Aliyev: The external ties of Ekol Engineering Services CJSC are very wide and go on developing from day to day. Besides the cooperation with the SOCAR-run organisations, we have established close business cooperation with a number of local and foreign companies. One of the key objectives for Ekol set by the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan is using brand-new equipment and technologies in the process of purification of produced waters and lands polluted with oil on production sites. To that end we hold regular meetings and establish cooperation with similar companies from all over the world.
We performed task-oriented activities in this direction in 2013 and in the corresponding period of 2014. In this connection we held meetings with the representatives of German companies GICON, Alfa-Laval, AWAS, BAMAG, Bauer ResouRces Company, THERMTECH (Norway), WET (UK), US companies ARQUS, FMT, Sundance Services INC, Agranco Corporation, the representative office of the group of companies KMT INTERNATIONAL, INC in Azerbaijan, Nano Tech Texnology Concept LTD (Turkey), the US Chamber of Commerce, Antea Group (France), RICCOBONI (Italy), Nelson Environmental Remediation LTD (Canada) and other similar world renowned companies. During the talks we reached primary agreements on a number of issues. Our employees regularly go for business travel abroad, they exchange experience and take part in international exhibitions.
The Company stays committed to expanding the external relations and establishing business cooperation.
CE: Could you please tell about the recent changes in Ekol Engineering Services CJSC?
Ramil Aliyev: A row of changes have recently happened in the CJSC. To expand the material and technical base of the company, in 2013 we purchased one separator FOX-15 of the Swedish company Alfa-Laval and special equipment in addition to the existing devices. Last year we overhauled the administrative buildings and back offices on our service sites and mechanical treatment facilities system. Brand-new heating and cooling systems were installed in workrooms. Required works are performed to improve labour conditions for our staff.
CE: What are the perspective plans of development?
Ramil Aliyev: We intend to continue our activities in the Republic and supply all the areas of provided services with brand-new equipment and technologies in an effort to improve the ecological state on all the sites of SOCAR’s activities and implement consistent perfect environmental and engineering events within the framework of the growing interest to the environmental protection issues.
Through strengthening of the material and technical base and the workforce capacity, making the activities to comply with the requirements of the international standards and also efficient using of nanotechnologies, we are encouraged to make Ekol Engineering Services CJSC known as а modern company providing solutions to ecological issues not only within the Republic of Azerbaijan, but also beyond it, and this is our main objective. The Company has the high potential to reach this objective, and we intend to achieve it.
