The Environmental Impact Assessment from Administrative Obligation to a Real Management Tool (2002)

The Environmental Impact Assessment from Administrative Obligation to a Real Management Tool C. Sutton; C. Sutton Total Fina Elf Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar A. Morillon; A. Morillon Total Fina Elf Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar M. Murray; M. Murray Total Fina Elf Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar J.F. Vidalie J.F. Vidalie Total Fina Elf Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE International Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 2002. Paper Number: SPE-73874-MS https://doi.org/10.2118/73874-MS Published: March 20 2002 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Sutton, C., Morillon, A., Murray, M., and J.F. Vidalie. "The Environmental Impact Assessment from Administrative Obligation to a Real Management Tool." Paper presented at the SPE International Conference on Health, Safety and Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 2002. doi: https://doi.org/10.2118/73874-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)SPE International Conference and Exhibition on Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability Search Advanced Search AbstractIn addition to its administrative purpose, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a real management tool for projects and development studies.This integrated approach consists in a process of continuous assessment and must include firstly, a set of environmental measures representing a contractual basis for the development and the construction phase and secondly, a genuine commitment for the future exploitation phases.Several examples of recent field developments (including deep offshore projects) are presented as case studies to demonstrate the approach used to fully integrate the preparation of the EIA into the project engineering process and the benefits that can be achieved from it.The key environmental issues for those projects are defined during the concept selection/definition phase by means of a first emissions assessment and an independent environmental review or preliminary EIA. In this process, the good knowledge of the environment through site surveys is fundamental. Formal EIA studies are then initiated simultaneously as the other Basic Engineering activities. The first phase of work encompasses an identification of gaseous and liquid emissions and wastes, and is then immediately followed by an analysis of the impacts. This provides detailed environmental information to the engineering team at a very early stage of the Basic Engineering process.The first draft of the EIA is issued shortly before the completion of Basic Engineering and the final version completed prior to starting the formal procedure of the administrative approval.The key for the success of such an approach is good planning, detailed preparation and the successful early integration of Environmental Specialists into the project teams.IntroductionAs an integrating part of the HSE rules of the Exploration and Production branch, the respect for the environment is a constant concern of our company within all levels of the organization. Measures are taken to limit and control any significant impact on the environment created by Oil and Gas activities.Environmental concerns are taken into account at every stage of an Exploration-Production project. This starts with the seismic survey, continues through exploratory drilling, field development and production, right up until the end of the field's life when equipment is dismantled and the site restored to its original condition, as shown in the figure 1.Prior to the launching of any E&P Project, a systematic evaluation of potential risks and impacts is performed according either to local regulations - when these exist - or in application to internal environmental company rules (1). All of these are based on professional recommendations, such as guidelines of the OGP or other organisations, such as the World Bank (2,3,4).In addition to the local regulations, the commitment concerning the environment integration in the project management relies on the following basic principles :Environmental Base line Study (EBS) is carried out on every new site prior to the commencement of any work. This study determines the initial environmental status of the site, the existence of any ecologically sensitive zones, and any pre-existing deterioration. A similar study is performed at the final abandonment stage.During the early stage of any new project, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is carried-out. This study identifies any significant impact of future activities on the environment and defines a set of risk-reducing measures.Any new installation or any modification to an existing installation is designed to limit its environmental impact (complementary EIA). Keywords: construction, engineering, engineering phase, sutton, eia, upstream oil & gas, recommendation, environmental management plan, murray, social responsibility Subjects: Environment, Sustainability/Social Responsibility, Strategic Planning and Management, Environmental and social impact assessments, Project management This content is only available via PDF. 2002. 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