Water Resources Management
We regard water as a shared resource. We value local water resources and their surrounding environment at all production sites.
Water Resources Management Guidelines and Measures
Water withdrawal dropped by 10% in 2022 compared with the previous year and total water consumption is down by 12%. Water withdrawal per unit of production throughout FENC decreased by 0.7% due to the decrease in production and modification in equipment operation. The Textile Business, however, increased recycled water quantity by installing effluent recycling equipment, reducing water withdrawal by 23% and water withdrawal per unit of production by 14% from the previous year. The Company’s water conservation projects have delivered results and implementation will continue to be refined to optimize water efficiency.
Water Withdrawal per Unit Production
Unit: kiloliter / metric ton of production
Water Withdrawal in 2022
Water Withdrawal and Water Consumption
Unit: megaliter
Surface Water | Third-party Water | Groundwater | Rainwater | Total Water Withdrawal | Total Water Consumption | ||
| Petrochemical | 2020 | 6,812 | 6,077 | 2 | 13 | 12,904 | 6,859 |
2021 | 6,386 | 6,745 | 54 | 12 | 13,197 | 6,986 | |
2022 | 5,932 | 6,417 | 0 | 12 | 12,361 | 6,109 | |
| Polyester | 2020 | 1,954 | 1,916 | 1,931 | 144 | 5,945 | 3,069 |
2021 | 2,047 | 1,976 | 1,794 | 144 | 5,961 | 2,921 | |
2022 | 1,743 | 1,774 | 1,723 | 122 | 5,362 | 2,656 | |
| Textile | 2020 | 2,583 | 1,172 | 68 | 28 | 3,851 | 785 |
2021 | 1,995 | 1,995 | 89 | 49 | 4,128 | 801 | |
2022 | 1,390 | 1,702 | 81 | 19 | 3,192 | 667 | |
| Total | 2020 | 11,349 | 9,165 | 2,001 | 185 | 22,700 | 10,713 |
2021 | 10,428 | 10,715 | 1,938 | 205 | 23,286 | 10,708 | |
2022 | 9,065 | 9,893 | 1,804 | 153 | 20,915 | 9,432 | |
| Note: 1. Surface water includes water from rivers, lakes and streams. Third-party water refers to tap water as well as wastewater from external organizations. Groundwater includes well water. 2. The difference between water withdrawal and effluent discharge is considered water consumption, which is mainly the result of evaporation at the cooling tower. Loss during production is a minor contributor. 3. The concentration of total dissolved solids (TDS) across the water withdrawal categories are under 1,000 mg/L. 4. No quarry water, seawater, or produced water that enters an organization’s boundary as a result of extraction (e.g., crude oil), processing (e.g., sugar cane crushing), or use of any raw material, and has to consequently be managed by the organization is used at any of FENC production sites. 5. In 2022, OPTC Plant 2 used the water recycled by OPTC Plant 1 (169 megaliters), which is categorized under wastewater from external organization within the third-party water. 6. Data collection on water resources management accounts for 100% of 21 production sites. |
System Establishment and Management
Plant 2 of OPTC is fulfilling its commitment to improve water efficiency through systematic management. The plant improved its workflow by following the ISO 46001 standards for water efficiency management system and leveraging the PDCA method. It established corresponding strategies and actions targeting water risks and opportunities as well as goals, implementation, operational plans and control for water efficiency. In March 2022, the plant became one of the first ten entities in Taiwan to receive the ISO 46001 certificate. In the future, more FENC production sites will be incorporating ISO 46001, and certification will be expanded.
Water Use Planning Procedure
Emergency Water Supply Backup Plan
FENC activates water response measures based on water alerts issued by local authorities, for instance, the Water Resources Agency in Taiwan. All production sites have emergency water supply backup plans in place to keep production activities uninterrupted even when water supply is scarce. In 2022, there were no occurrences of stop work caused by water shortages. FENC’s emergency water response measures are as follows:
・Regulate discharge from water towers and air conditioning units to reduce discharge and recharge.
・Recycle effluent and activate the reverse osmosis (RO) membrane system as a backup water supply.
・Activate water supply evaluation for alternative supply (well water or groundwater) within the production site when the water level in the retention pond falls to the lowest point.
Incorporation of Innovation Technology and Equipment
Hsinpu Chemical Fiber Plant is utilizing LoRa, a low-power wide-area wireless communication technology, to transmit electricity and water flow data from the deep-water wells, which are scattered in various outdoor locations, to the database. Different from the manual meter reading practice, LoRa allows remote monitoring and control over the equipment and operation, which helps the plant reduce energy consumption and maintenance costs.
Water conservation efforts at FENC focus on reducing water loss caused by the wind drift and evaporation at the cooling tower. With production management and control, the Company aims to increase the concentration of recirculating cooling water, reduce water consumption and construct water recycling and reuse systems to achieve water conservation.
