The Wastewater Improvement Project at the Co-op Refinery Complex (CRC) of Federated Co-operatives Limited in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, was named Industrial Water Project of the Year at the annual Global Water Awards held in Madrid, Spain, on April 24.
The award recognises the project, commissioned in 2016, that represents the most impressive technical or environmental achievement in the field of industrial water.
“We are honoured that the CRC was named Industrial Water Project of the Year. Water is a precious resource and our Wastewater Improvement Project allows us to be efficient and sustainable by recovering every drop of water – two million gallons of wastewater daily,” said Gil Le Dressay, vice president, refinery operations, CRC.
“With GE’s technology, we now recycle all of our wastewater in a socially responsible and environmentally sound way to conserve water for Regina and the entire province of Saskatchewan,” added Dressay.
“We are very proud that this project, which uses our advanced wastewater treatment technologies, has won this prestigious award,” said Heiner Markoff, president and CEO, GE Water and Process Technologies. “The CRC’s outstanding commitment to environmental sustainability should be an enduring example for the entire oil refining industry,” added Markoff.
Several years ago, the refinery expanded its operations to produce 30,000 more barrels of oil per day (bpd) taking it from a 100,000-bpd to 130,000-bpd facility, which increased its water usage. The refinery’s current water source is a blend of well water and city water.
With the fully operational Wastewater Improvement Project, the CRC’s reliance on raw water from the City of Regina aquifer will decrease by the equivalent of 3,100 households on an annual basis. By recycling 100 percent of its wastewater on-site, the CRC significantly decreases volatile organic compound emissions from its wastewater ponds and reduces the associated nuisance odours.
Established in 2006 by Global Water Intelligence magazine, the awards recognise the most important achievements in the international water industry within several categories, and reward those initiatives in the water, wastewater and desalination sectors that are moving the industry forward through improved operating performance, innovative technology adoption and sustainable financial models.
