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In society and in legislation, there is increasing attention on preventing and, where necessary, remedying emissions and leakages. In the Netherlands, this may appear to be a phenomenon of recent years, for example as a result of the heightened focus on emissions from industrial installations. However, it is in fact a development that has been unfolding since the 1980s. Even in our own surroundings, this is evident in the first major projects where subsurface quality no longer met the required standards, such as the Lekkerkerk operation (1980, known as the toxic waste scandal, with damages amounting to €84 million at the time), as well as the remediation operations from 2000 onwards concerning historic gasworks (notorious sites of soil contamination for which a specific remediation program was developed, IPO BO‑08).

On January 1, 2024, the Environmental Planning Act (Omgevingswet) will enter into force in the Netherlands. Under this new legislation, the concept of an “establishment” (inrichting) will disappear and be replaced by the concept of an “environmentally damaging activity.” This means that environmental rules and permit requirements (or the absence thereof) will henceforth apply to an environmentally damaging activity. Under the Environmental Planning Act, it will no longer matter whether activities are carried out commercially or temporarily, or whether they take place at a fixed location.

In today’s competitive landscape, companies that heavily rely on assets (particularly in sectors like oil & gas, utilities, and chemicals) face significant operational risks. To stay competitive, it’s crucial to manage these risks effectively. This article discusses the importance of asset risk awareness, how companies can mitigate risks, and the role of asset performance management (APM) philosophy in achieving long-term operational success.

At Bilfinger, we strive to integrate innovative and sustainable solutions into our operations. One of the tools that supports us in this effort is the En‑ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator. This tool has enriched our perspective on climate change and offers a hopeful pathway toward a more sustainable future.

The industrial sector faces a major challenge: becoming more sustainable in order to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of governments, consumers, and shareholders. This sustainability transition concerns not only the products brought to market, but also the production facilities used to manufacture them.

A large multi-million euros production expansion project involves a lot of considerations. There is a strong temptation to deploy all available resources for the construction of the project to get it up and running as quickly as possible, so that the investment pays off in the shortest time. However, after the project is commissioned, a new challenge arises. How do we ensure that the installation continues to perform as desired throughout its decades-long lifespan? Which equipment is most important for this? How is that determined? How should this equipment be maintained in an economical way? With the multi-million euros production extension project, Teijin Aramid Delfzijl acknowledged the importance of sound maintenance and discussed these questions already during the engineering & construction phase. In order to develop the optimal maintenance and spare part regime for thousands of maintainable units, an experienced partner was found in Bilfinger.