Closed waste disposal system permits environmentally compatible activities

The need to bring environmental protection in the sensitive Wattenmeer tideland ecosystem in harmony with the technical and engineering requirements for oil production in the region is a massive challenge. RWE Dea as operator and its partner Wintershall have been fully aware of their responsibility for this unique natural environment ever since the start of production.

The principle of impenetrable defenses was developed for this very purpose. The Mittelplate Drilling and Production Island boasts a hermetically closed waste disposal system. Every kind of waste – from cuttings resulting from drilling operations to potato peelings from the kitchen – is packed into containers and shipped to the mainland for disposal. Cuttings (clay, sandstone and clay stone) are processed for use in road construction and special types of concrete.

Process water and waste water from the kitchen is processed in municipal waste water treatment plants on the mainland. Even rain and spray falling on the island is collected and processed.