OMV uses significant amounts of water for its operations in its upstream and downstream activities. Freshwater is used for processes such as drilling, steam generation, and cooling. Smaller amounts of water are also used for non-industrial purposes. Any produced water is treated for reinjection into pressurized hydrocarbon reservoirs to optimize the extraction rate. Desalinated water is used in some offshore operations. Refineries and various other operating facilities also use brackish and/or recycled water for various operational purposes. Some of OMV’s operating facilities are in areas experiencing water stressWater stress occurs when the demand for water exceeds the available amount during a certain period or when poor quality restricts its use. Water stress causes deterioration of freshwater resources in terms of quantity (aquifer over-exploitation, dry rivers, etc.) and quality (eutrophication, organic matter pollution, saline intrusion, etc.). Source: European Environmental Agency.. The following section provides an overview and description of the actions taken in the reporting year, as well as future actions planned to address our water-related impact and risk.
Water Assessment
In 2025, OMV Tunisia (TN) conducted the regulatory water assessment for the Waha Central Facility to evaluate the water use and its associated network, with the objective of improving water efficiency across its operational value chain. Several areas for improvement were identified, including the implementation of a smart water monitoring system, the reuse of AC condensation wastewater, and the re-engineering of the water network and irrigation system. Additional efforts to reuse treated water in irrigation have also been made to create a green zone irrigated with treated wastewater, rather than freshwater. These actions are particularly relevant, as Tunisia has been identified as an area at water risk. Activities are planned to commence in 2026, with a detailed timeline currently under development based on preparatory work carried out in 2025. With these actions we aim to contribute to our policy objective of improving water efficiency and our ambition of minimizing freshwater withdrawal.
Risk Assessment
During the reporting year, OMV implemented several actions to strengthen water management. Comprehensive water impact and risk assessments were carried out across operational sites using the WWF Water Risk Filter and the TNFD LEAP approach. A gap analysis against ESRS requirements identified areas for improvement, including the need for quantitative water targets, tracking of water reduction measures, and ecosystem restoration initiatives. Based on risk, location, and materiality, water-sensitive sites were identified and prioritized. To ensure structured monitoring, a Water Action and Opportunities Tracker was introduced, requiring all sites to provide detailed overviews of water-related initiatives and multi-year forecasts of freshwater needs. These actions are expected to contribute to our policy objective of improving water efficiency and our ambition of reducing freshwater withdrawals, particularly in water-scarce regions, while enhancing water quality and minimizing pollution from operations. They also aim to strengthen stakeholder trust and ensure alignment with ESRS and TNFD requirements, supporting regulatory compliance and sustainability objectives. Collectively, these measures contribute directly to OMV’s HSSE Strategy 2030 and broader environmental policy goals by advancing water stewardship, reducing environmental impact, and promoting transparent reporting and continuous improvement.
The actions covered all operational sites under the Company’s financial or operational control, including industrial facilities such as refineries and chemical production plants, distributed production areas, concessions, and relevant offices. Geographically, the measures applied to all regions where OMV operates, with site-specific assessments and actions tailored to local water risks and catchment contexts, giving priority to water-stressed or high-risk basins. The actions affected both internal stakeholders, such as employees, site management, and operational teams, and external groups, including local communities, regulators, and other water users in the catchment.
Despite the resources dedicated to the mentioned actions and initiatives, none of them exceeded our key action[MDR-A 69b] Key actions are defined as those requiring CAPEX of EUR ≥5 mn for their implementation through the end of the planning period. In 2025, the planning horizon was shortened from five years to three, resulting in forward-looking CAPEX that is lower compared to the Sustainability Statement 2024. CAPEX includes additions to property, plant, and equipment and to intangible assets (incl. IFRS 16 right-of-use assets), and expenditures for acquisitions, as well as equity-accounted investments and other interest for pre-defined sustainability CAPEX categories. Decommissioning assets, government grants, borrowing costs, additions to assets disposed (under certain conditions), and other additions that by definition are not considered capital expenditure are not included in CAPEX figures. Within the boundaries of applicable accounting standards, expenditure incurred during project implementation is generally capitalized, thus included in the CAPEX figures. OPEX figures related to key actions are not disclosed due to current limitations in data availability and may be included in future reports as reporting practices evolve. threshold. Therefore, these data requirements on allocated financial resources have not been addressed.