Minimizing environmental impact
Operating in sensitive areas
minutes reading time
Rod Gibbons
When working with oil and gas, you always have to be careful but that awareness has to go up when performing activities in a sensitive area.
A sensitive area can be susceptible to environmental impacts from liquid releases, air emissions and even noise impacts. It is possible to operate effectively under the most stringent conditions, but it requires special care and attention.
Other projects: Incident Investigation
Working Inside-Out
Minimizing the impact on our surroundings is what we are continuously doing. What makes environmentally sensitive areas different is the limits on environmental impact that, in most cases, have already been set. Preventative surveys and measures are often used to protect wildlife but project impacts can be further reaching.
Impacts can take the form of containing all fluids (including rainwater) for testing during completion activities, limiting NOx emissions by using high efficiency diesel or fully electric equipment for well servicing, or performing continous noise monitoring during drilling and workovers in high population density areas.
We are experienced in operating in areas with strict environmental restrictions. For example, we have performed wireline activites where sound levels could not exceed that of a normal conversation. With careful plannning and thoughtful execution almost everything is possible.
The environment includes people
There is more to sensitive areas than just environmental issues. In the oil and gas industry we are always striving to do things better and safer. But we don't need to take risks we don't need to, so it was an easy decision when executing a drilling campaign outside a small farm town to restrict rig moves between 8 - 9 in the morning and 3 - 4 in the afternoon.
Why this restriction? Not having large trucks going through town when kids are on the way to school. It was easy to calculate how much this decison cost us in the execution, but sometimes it is the intangible benfits that feel right.
"All areas are considered sensitive"
Oil and gas activities can occur in sensitive areas, it just takes increased attention and vigilance. Ballycatter Engineering has experience in highly sensitive areas around the world and treats all areas and neighbours with the respect expected in a sensitive area. All areas we work in are considered "Sensitive".
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