Dolphin Energy contributes to Qatari sustainability

Can you summarize Dolphin Energy’s sustainability journey to date?

This has been a challenging journey and one that built on our commitment to complying with legal and regulatory requirements. As the Dolphin Gas Project developed, the company enhanced its position as it started to engage in themes such as corporate social responsibility with community stakeholders. We became a founding member of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group (ADSG) in 2007 and then played a key role in Qatar’s emerging sustainability program. Today we are key contributors to the Qatar Energy & Industry Sector Sustainability (QEISS) Program, helping to drive important initiatives across the economy, the environment and society. Our efforts have been recognized by the Ministries of the Environment and Energy and we have just issued details of our sixth sustainability report.

A key aspect of our commitment to the Qatar National Vision 2030 can be seen in our approach to Qatarization. Considering we have only been operational for eight years we are in a strong position. Thanks to our sustained focus on the training and development of our national workforce we benefit from a 29% Qatarization rate. In addition, 95% of our senior management team is Qatari.

What are the main initiatives Dolphin has put in place to develop young, talented Qataris?

First we strive to be an employer of choice by providing clear career paths and progression for our Qatari employees, backed by comprehensive training and a strong development program. We have plans in place designed to support fresh graduates and employees keen to develop their skills and careers. In addition, mentoring by experienced employees is a key feature of the support provided. We make it clear to those who hold management positions that we expect them to provide the same level of support afforded to them when making their way up the career ladder.

While we make every effort to ensure our talent stays at the company, we’re always disappointed when good employees leave. A number of ex Dolphin Energy colleagues have taken prominent positions across various sectors in Qatar. While we would like them to be with us, we still feel a strong sense of pride because we know we have played a part in their development, helping them get to where they are today.

Since our inception we have worked and developed a close relationship with leading educational institutions in Qatar. This has given us an opportunity to develop programs designed to engage and develop future engineers for the industry, and support and sponsor important events and programs. Every year we take up to 10 students and sponsor them from the time they finish high school and go to university. We also provide study leave and scholarship opportunities for those looking to develop their professional qualifications while working with us.

Our efforts to support Qatarization have been recognized by our peers. In May, we received the Crystal Award in the category of 'Support for Training and Development' at the 2015 Annual Qatarization Review Meeting of the Energy and Industry Sector's Strategic Qatarization Plan.  It is the third year running that the company has won the prestigious award.

How does Dolphin Energy’s community outreach initiatives support social wellbeing?

Our community outreach efforts link directly to the Qatar National Development Strategy which offers an integrated approach to social development under the Qatar National Vision 2030. We focus on a number of pillars – from culture, the arts, the environment, education, sports and charity. Each initiative is designed to contribute to social wellbeing.

We sponsored the Qatar Masters Golf tournament at a time when the country was starting to raise its profile more on the world sporting stage and we benefited greatly from this.  Our focus is now more local and we are currently sponsoring the Dolphin Energy Doha Dash which is a community fun run held in support of Qatar National Sport Day. It is a great initiative which encourages citizens and residents of Doha to lead more physically active lives.

We are also very active in the Ras Laffan Industrial City Community Outreach Program (RLIC-COP) which aims to positively impact the lives of the communities located in proximity to Ras Laffan. It is important that we create the right impression and the program, which has seen us complete a refurbishment of Al Dhakira beach, allows those operating in the industrial zone to do just that.

In addition, where we can we combine pillars to strengthen our commitment. We recently signed an MOU with the Supreme Education Council to introduce Beati Watani to schools in Qatar – this is an environmental education program that will teach students the importance of protecting the environment and local heritage.

What efforts is Dolphin Energy making to support the environment?

First, our business is focused on delivering the least carbon fossil fuel to support industrial growth and economic diversification. We are able to do this and minimize the use of alternative fuels which are both costlier and more damaging to the environment.

The environment has always been a priority for us and its protection has driven our corporate objectives from day one. As an example, the subsea export pipeline route was plotted in a way to avoid important breeding grounds and marine habitats. In addition, we have worked with the Qatar Ministry of Environment and other partners on a coral research project which led to the development of a comprehensive coral conservation management plan.

We are minimizing our environmental impacts in other ways too. We have successfully minimized the levels of flaring at our plant, to be well within the guidelines set out by the Qatar Ministry of Environment. We are setting the standard in this area which requires a lot of effort and dedication. In fact we are aiming for zero flaring which is possible. This is an ongoing effort.

We are also actively involved in the industrial wastewater management project and QP’s carbon capture project. We continue to reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere and are in the process of completing a new GHG policy and strategy that will benchmark our GHG reduction efforts against those of other energy industry leaders.

How is Dolphin Energy meeting the needs of this generation without compromising the needs of future ones?

We do this through proactive engagement with all our stakeholders so that we continue to build a culture of sustainability outside and inside the company. By understanding their needs and requirements we are able to address issues most important to them. This provides the perfect platform to develop our stakeholder mapping and materiality process so that where the needs of our stakeholders change we can respond effectively.

In addition, we are investing heavily in the environment not for commercial gain but to ensure it benefits future generations. Some think there’s a conflict in business but the priority always has to be the environment. This is our commitment.

How are Dolphin Energy’s commitments being recognized?

We are a company that people want to work for and our sustainability commitments are often mentioned when people are asked why they want to work for us.

In addition our efforts have been rewarded and recognized by our peers which is why were have won a number of awards for our commitment. These awards include the Sustainability Innovation Award, presented to us by the Minister of Energy, HE Dr Mohammed Bin Saleh Al Sada and the Award for the Best Sustainability Award which we received from the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Group in 2014.

How does Dolphin Energy feel about being in Qatar?

We believe in the vision here. We are a committed partner and demonstrate that commitment across our business in many ways. We are a unique model and a shining example of what can be achieved through the spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and trust.