Petrom invests EUR 10 million in clean-up

“The storage tanks were seriously damaged by the bombardments during the Second World War and by the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977. Due to destruction, the soil was infected with large quantities of oil products. Over time these seeped into the ground and reached the water table,” said Mariana Gheorghe, CEO of Petrom.
The platform in Straulesti was used as storage space from 1934-2005. The plot's ecological rehabilitation process includes a multi-layer cleaning through new technologies for purification based on stimulating the natural biological processes discomposing the polluting agents.
The first step of the project is the demolition of buildings. The second phase will begin in spring and last three years, targeting oil products in the ground, the soil and ground water table rehabilitation. The last phase is scheduled for 2009-2014 and includes the implementation of a monitoring system for the resistant polluting substances.
In January last year, Petrom announced it would build a 200,000-sqm real estate complex in Straulesti in 2009, which will include offices for the future headquarters of the company. In future, the building will accommodate all of Petrom's employees in Bucharest offices and other central services, according to the company's plans at the time.
The project was supposed to be unrolled in various steps, the first being scheduled for finalization at the beginning of 2008, allowing the relocation of 1,700 employees.

Andreea Marinas