Presentation by Tom Moeller
Refinery Director ExxonMobil Petroleum and Chemical
at the Hague, The Netherlands
August 30, 2004

First of all, I would like to thank you, Mr. Van Geel for your kind words and awarding us the prize. I'm glad to be able to say a few words in response at this special occasion but must apologise for not doing so in Dutch. Fortunately, so many Dutch people master the English language and therefore I don't believe that I run the risk of being misunderstood.

Today, we've reached a milestone. We are very proud that Esso Nederland B.V. is the first company to have its CO2 and NOx emission monitoring system validated and recognised by the Dutch government.  This accomplishment demonstrates our commitment to work with government to develop reliable monitoring protocols that ensure the expected benefits are actually received.  The integrity of the Green-House-Gas inventories and reliable monitoring are critical to the success of any emission trading system.

We would like to thank the Ministry of VROM, in particular Mr. Chris Dekkers, for the efforts and the excellent co-operation to complete the protocol. And we think that it is an excellent initiative by the Minister, as the Chairman of the EU Environment Council, to take-up a leading role by promoting this monitoring protocol in the European Union and persuading the European Commission to use it as a model for all Member States. This is particularly important given the monetary value of emissions trading.  It is important that the protocols are accurate, reproducible and comparable between companies and sectors.  ExxonMobil will try and assist VROM in this effort and will promote the use of the protocol throughout our affiliates' installations in Europe.

The risk of climate change is a long-term global issue that requires long-term global solutions. Consequently, I believe that the successful development of innovative and viable energy technologies for application on a global basis, is the only way to address the long-term climate change risk while preserving and promoting prosperity. ExxonMobil is doing its share in this respect. For instance, in addition to our own research, ExxonMobil is sponsoring the Stanford University's Global Climate and Energy Project with $100 million. This is a major long-term research program that is designed to accelerate the development of commercially viable energy technologies that can dramatically lower Green-House-Gas emissions on a world-wide scale.

I sincerely hope that the Dutch Presidency will play the same leading role in trying to maintain international competitiveness of both the Dutch and the European Industry during the discussions on climate policies in preparing the 2005 Spring summit. I also hope that the Dutch government will use its Presidency to support the development of innovative energy technologies that can become commercially viable - not only here in Europe but around the world and in the developing countries where over 2 billion people live without access to affordable energy. I believe that it is in this field that the EU could play a real leadership role in the world while at the same time contributing in reaching the Lisbon objectives.

Looking for long-term solutions does not preclude ExxonMobil and its affiliates from taking economically, environmentally and scientifically sensible actions now. Just one example: over a 25-year period, our refineries improved their energy-efficiency by more than 35%. Over the past four years, our energy-conservation efforts have saved enough energy to supply almost 1 million European households with electricity each year. Our Rotterdam Refinery is one of the most energy-efficient plants in the world. It has its own super efficient co-generation unit, which uses gas to generate electricity and steam. Since the nineties, ExxonMobil and its affiliates have been investing in these co-generation units. Together these units have prevented almost 7 million tonnes per year of carbon dioxide from being produced. This is equivalent to removing almost 1 million cars from the world's roads.

Having our monitoring protocol ready and validated by the Authorities shows our commitment to comply with the emissions regulations. We trust that the Dutch authorities will enforce the system on a consistent basis to ensure a level playing field for all involved.

We are committed to continue to make our contribution towards a sustainable and global solution and using energy in an efficient manner, in The Netherlands and elsewhere.

On behalf of ExxonMobil and our local affiliate Esso Nederland, I thank again the Dutch government, in particular the Environment Ministry, for its excellent co-operation. We 're looking forward to a continued fine working relationship with this and other departments.