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Stakeholders Meet to Discuss Next Step in Drill Cuttings Initiative

Monday 31 January 2000

Stakeholders Meet to Discuss Next Step in Drill Cuttings Initiative

The UK offshore oil and gas industry is to hold a second stakeholder dialogue workshop to discuss the findings of new research carried out as part of its drill cuttings initiative.

The workshop, on Wednesday, 2 February, will once again bring together environmental groups, fishermen, scientists and regulators with industry representatives to discuss possible options for dealing with old accumulations of drill cuttings beneath North Sea installations.

The first meeting, held in November 1998, contributed to the planning of the research programme. This second event will provide a forum for discussion of the work carried out to date and will help define the next phase, which is likely to include trials offshore.

The meeting is once again being managed on behalf of the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) by the independent charity, The Environment Council. It will take place in London and is expected to attract around 40 delegates from the UK, Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

Fifteen separate studies were carried out in the first phase of research to help further the industrys understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the cuttings piles and their impact on the environment, as well as to review potential remediation solutions and determine when such action would be appropriate.

The workshop marks the mid-way point in the Initiative, which is being conducted in two phases. All the research findings have been published in advance of the stakeholder dialogue meeting and may be found on the UKOOA website (www.oilandgas.org.uk/issues/).

Ian Silk, the Initiatives Chairman, said: We are very pleased with the progress made so far. Fifteen research projects have been completed on schedule and at a budget cost of £1 million. Our understanding of the nature of cuttings piles, their environmental impact and possible ways forward has been greatly enhanced. It is vital to the success of the Initiative that we now meet with the stakeholders to discuss these findings further before moving ahead into the second and concluding phase.

The meeting proceedings will be published by The Environment Council and the views expressed by stakeholders incorporated into a final report which will include recommendations for second phase research activities - due at the end of February.

Note to Editors

The Drill Cuttings Stakeholder Dialogue is a closed session. Participation is by invitation only, issued by The Environment Council.

The Chairman of the UKOOA Drill Cuttings Initiative, Ian Silk, will be available for interview.

 Drill cuttings are the by-product which emerges when wells are drilled through subterranean rock to reach oil and gas reservoirs below. Varying in size from small rock chips like gravel to fine sand, they accumulate on the seabed below offshore platforms and are known to contain traces of lubricants used in drilling operations. For further information on drilling, muds and cuttings as well as the UKOOA Drill Cuttings Initiative, please click here.

UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its 30 members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters.

The Environment Council is an independent charity mandated to raise awareness of environmental issues, to enhance understanding of the implications of sustainable development issues for decision making and build sustainable solutions. One of the methods is the use of constructive managed dialogue with all stakeholders.

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.