Wednesday 23 December 1998

The Environment Council Issues Report On Drill Cuttings Seminar

The Environment Council today (22 December 1998) releases its report on the seminar it held on behalf of the offshore oil and gas industry in November when a range of interest groups met together to discuss how best to deal with drill cuttings piles on the sea bed the legacy of 30 years of offshore well drilling activity in the North Sea.

The seminar opened the consultation process which is a key element of the initiative launched in June this year by the UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) to deal with cuttings piles on the sea bed. This saw the creation of a special Industry Task Force which has the dual role of implementing a programme of scientific and technical research and development while at the same time engaging in a broadly based stakeholder dialogue to identify acceptable and practical solutions.

The objectives of last months seminar were to:

- identify and discuss the issues and challenges from a variety of perspectives

- identify the gaps in understanding of those issues

- assist in developing criteria for selecting research and development topics

The Report follows the chronology of the meeting and gives a thorough account of its outcomes, the summary of which are:

* There is widespread stakeholder interest in the issue.

Forty-five delegates attended the seminar, including regulators from the UK, Norway and the Netherlands, along with scientists and academics, non-government organisations (NGOs) representing environment and fishing groups, and representatives from the oil and gas industry.

* It was accepted that the issue is complex and that there are no simple solutions.

Various options for dealing with cuttings piles were discussed. These covered subsea treatments (including leaving the piles undisturbed on the sea floor,

entombment and capping), retrieval (including dredging and suction pumping), onshore treatment and disposal/recycle options. All potential solutions, from leaving the piles in situ to removal for reinjection or landfill, were thought to merit further consideration.

* Decisions on how best to deal with cuttings piles should be underpinned by sound science so that the full environmental impact of each option can be evaluated.

The issue that dominated the debate on each option was the need for a detailed understanding of the physical characteristics of cuttings piles and the impact these would have on the environment whatever the solutions adopted.

The views expressed at the meeting have been used to guide the Task Forces plans for the first phase of research work, which will be worked up in detail with interested research institutions and contractors early in the New Year. There will be further dialogue with stakeholders as work progresses. An independent peer group of scientists is also being established to monitor progress and review results.

Eric Faulds of UKOOAs Drill Cuttings Task Force said: This was a very valuable session which has given the dialogue process a very positive start. The debate was stimulating, with a high degree of participant involvement and a noticeable lack of dissension or entrenchment. The workshop also illustrates the high level of interest in the issues and the need to maintain momentum towards identifying those solutions that meet best environmental practice and employ best available techniques.

Notes to Editors:

A full copy of The Environment Councils report on the drill cuttings seminar held on 13 November 1998 will be posted on their web site in the New Year. The web site address is:

http:/www.greenchannel.com/tec.

Drill cuttings are the by-product which emerges when wells are drilled through subterranean rock to reach oil and has 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.

There is currently no proven technology for dealing with these old cuttings and there is concern that without the development of new environmentally acceptable removal techniques, trying to move them could cause more environmental harm than leaving them in place. Similarly, little is known about the possibilities of cleaning or treating cuttings in place on the seabed.

The UKOOA Drill Cuttings Task Force was set up in June 1998 with the objective of identifying the best environmental practice and the best available techniques in accordance with the principles set out by the OSPAR Convention. It is hoped that the initiative will provide helpful insights for the next international discussions on drill cuttings to be held in February 1999 by the Sea Based Activities group (SEBA) of OSPAR.

The UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its 35 members are companies licensed by the Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters.

The Environment Council is a unique charity mandated to raise awareness of environmental issues and to enhance understanding of the implications for sustainable development issues in decision making. One method is the use of constructive managed dialogue with stakeholders.

OSPAR is the Oslo and Paris Conventions governing all aspects of marine pollution in the North East Atlantic region.

For more information, please call 020 7802 2400.