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Environmental Impacts

The document summarizes the environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and decommissioning activities in the North Sea. During exploration, seismic surveys can disturb fish populations and disrupt spawning. Drilling operations produce cuttings and wastewater that were historically discharged and contaminated seabed sediments. Production involves discharging large volumes of produced water containing low levels of oil, metals, and chemicals. Monitoring studies track the spread and reduction of contamination over time. Decommissioning will involve removing installations and pipelines, with concerns about disturbing cuttings piles and impacts on fishing.

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rishabh jain
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66 views2 pages

Environmental Impacts

The document summarizes the environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and decommissioning activities in the North Sea. During exploration, seismic surveys can disturb fish populations and disrupt spawning. Drilling operations produce cuttings and wastewater that were historically discharged and contaminated seabed sediments. Production involves discharging large volumes of produced water containing low levels of oil, metals, and chemicals. Monitoring studies track the spread and reduction of contamination over time. Decommissioning will involve removing installations and pipelines, with concerns about disturbing cuttings piles and impacts on fishing.

Uploaded by

rishabh jain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Environmental Impacts of the Oil and Gas Industries

Introduction
For generations the North Sea has been a valuable source the sensitivity of exploration activities including the
of food exploited by the UK fishing industry. In the last definition of no go times or conditions.
quarter of the 20th century it also became a vital energy
source following the discovery of significant reserves of Drilling
oil and gas (O&G). In the 21st century, it may emerge as During drilling, a drilling mud is continuously circulated
a source of renewable energy. between the well and the platform through a riser pipe.
Mud is used to maintain well pressure and wall stability,
Both the fishing and O&G industries are important to the to cool and lubricate the drill bit and to carry the rock
economy of Scotland and the UK generally, and must chips (cuttings) generated during the drilling process away
coexist in a marine environment that is sensitive to from the cutting head to the platform. Here, the cuttings
exploitation and contamination. Fisheries Research are partially cleaned and the majority of drill mud re-used.
Services (FRS) has a significant role, providing advice on Muds come in a variety of forms, dependent on their fluid
the nature and extent of the impact of the O&G industries base. Amongst these are water based muds (WBM) and
to their regulator, the Department of Trade and Industry oil based muds (OBM). In the past, the bulk of cleaned
(DTI). OBM cuttings were discharged to the seabed along with
their residual oily mud contamination. Extensive
Environmental Effects of Oil and Gas monitoring studies showed that this caused changes to
Production the seabed via a combination of smothering, organic
enrichment and toxicity effects. These were seen to be
Exploration most severe close to discharging platforms where the pile
Operators investigate the likelihood of hydrocarbons being proper formed, but they commonly extended up to a
present under the seabed using high intensity sound distance of 1 or 2 km. These discharges are no longer
(seismic surveys). Commercial fish species are sensitive allowed.
to sound and, at close range, larval fish might even be
killed by seismic sources. Seismic surveys might therefore Production
disturb spawning fish away from territory where they have During production, large amounts of produced water (PW)
chosen to aggregate for spawning purposes and this are recovered with the hydrocarbons. This is cleaned to
could, in extreme circumstances, be harmful to stock very stringent standards and some is re-injected to
productivity. Disturbing fish away from traditional areas maintain reservoir pressure. The bulk, however, has
may also affect fishermens catches. FRS gives advice on traditionally been discharged to sea. As fields age and as
the amounts of oil remaining fall, the amounts of PW cuttings piles beneath them are not, they may spread, if
increase. The turn of the millennium marked the time of fishing over them is allowed. All of these options, namely
maximum recovery of oil in the UK North Sea fields. So complete installation removal, cuttings piles recovery,
although the levels of oil in produced water are very low, and the wisdom of allowing fishing over piles if they are
and despite improvements in technology which have exposed, will be the subject of much discussion in the
tended to reduce them, the overall total amount of oil years head. To aid these discussions, FRS has conducted
discharged with the water by UK industry will continue to studies where sediment blocks containing fluorescent
rise in the next few years; it will then tail off as the industry label were placed on the seabed prior to being fished
declines. Increased regulatory attention is therefore being over (see below).
focussed on the PW discharge, not least because in
addition to oil, it contains residues of naturally occurring
heavy metals and radionuclides and oil field chemicals.
FRS took part in a recent collaborative research study to
look at PW effects. Such studies will inform the continuing
monitoring needs and regulatory requirements.

A wide variety of chemicals is used to treat the oil, gas


and water that is gathered from offshore reservoirs. These
are regulated under a harmonised mandatory control
scheme (HMCS) negotiated under the auspices of the
Oslo and Paris Commission (OSPAR). As part of its advisory
service to DTI, FRS assesses UK operators applications
to use particular amounts of specified chemicals.
These showed that no significantly increased
environmental risk is likely to flow from the spread of
Monitoring
contamination caused by fishing over piles. Any spread
In the past, most O&G monitoring concentrated on the
over time is predicted to be very slow. The extent, if any,
near-field effects of cuttings piles discharges at the major
to which it occurs will be followed by individual field
drill sites. Although monitoring of the impacts of piles
monitoring studies and by the stratified random survey
remains a focus of interest, attention is now being directed
approach described above. The peak period of large trunk
towards detecting more subtle changes in contamination
pipeline decommissioning may be some time after that
patterns in the further field. FRS has a resident group of
of installations, since key parts of the export system will
hydrocarbon analytical experts and is advising stratified
need to be retained to service the last producing
random monitoring approaches to determine if
installations. Fishermen have learnt to live with these
contamination is decreasing with time (because OBM
large lines. Indeed, some choose to fish along them,
cuttings discharges have ceased), or increasing with time
alleging they act as aggregation devices for fish. FRS is
because other discharges still take place (see produced
concerned about the eventual fate of these lines once
water section above). Surveys of this type have been
they are no longer required and will seek to ensure that
conducted in recent years in the Fladen Ground and East
their potential to interfere with the environment and with
Shetland Basin areas of the North Sea. These will hopefully
fishing activities is minimised.
form a snapshot against which changes over time can be
assessed.
Accidental Events
FRS provides a 24-hour emergency response service as
Decommissioning
part of the National Contingency Plan designed to cope
Although the decommissioning phase of the North Sea
with transport and offshore oil and gas pollution incidents
industry is now underway, the peak period of
in UK waters. Significant accidental spills from offshore
decommissioning of installations will likely be in the
installations or during refuelling and transport are
period 2010-2020. Some decommissioning operations
thankfully very rare events. Were one to happen, advice
have the potential to impact both the environment and
would be provided to the primary responders and to any
fishing activities. FRS is a key advisor on the implications
Environment Group established. In addition, FRS maintains
of individual plans, and has two major areas of interest
the sole UK centre for the sensory analysis of
in the decommissioning context: cuttings piles; and on-
contamination in fish and shellfish in order to advise the
surface large pipelines.
human health consequences of spillages of oil or
chemicals at sea. (See leaflets Ensuring the Quality of
Fishing in the immediate vicinity of installations is
Fish and Shellfish and Sensory Assessment of Fish and
prevented by exclusion zones. If installations are
Shellfish Quality).
completely removed at decommissioning and the large AE09|12|05

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