Environment Directorate Lundin and Statoil fierce criticism for planning the discharge of contaminated water from Edvard Grieg in connection with the drilling of three production wells on the field from late November through December.
360 cubic meters packer fluid containing oil and water soluble chemicals sent from Edvard Grieg field by pipeline to the Sture terminal near Bergen in Hordaland, where Statoil is the operator.
In addition sent 400 cubic meters of filtered seawater containing 5 tons of monoethylene glycol (MEG) from clarification of the oil pipeline.
Chemicals fjord
The water will be sent to vannkavernen at the Sture terminal. Where the water should be diluted and cleaned mechanically for oil. The water-soluble chemicals will be discharged untreated into Hjeltefjorden.
Environment Directorate received the application at the last minute and gave permission. But points in a crass letter to Lundin that they and Statoil have not done a good enough assessment of the environmental risks of the selected option compared to alternative solutions.
Directorate finds it “highly reprehensible” that the application for permission for landing and emissions by Sture existed “very late and close to the start of the field.”
Statoil sent the application on October 16, but Environment Agency rejected it because they thought it had a “deficient Description of environmental risks and inadequate assessment of potential treatment options for packing liquid. “
Moreover, they felt that information in the application were incorrect, including the type and amount of chemicals.
– Excessive risk
Not until November 13, 12 days before planned spud, came Statoil with a new application, containing a risk assessment of three possible alternatives for handling liquid.
In the assessment made by Lundin, is the possibility to collect the seal liquid in tanks for transport to shore. But it would according to the company involve too much risk to personnel because of “height, exposure to liquid, ergonomics and demanding crane operations.”
Unloading of packing liquid hose to the ship would according to the company also provide for a high risk of personnel.
A third option, emissions of completion fluid to sea from Edvard Grieg platform, also got the thumbs down by Lundin because they believed the treatment equipment on the platform is not designed for this use.
Pack liquid has in fact such a high density that it can contain particles that may cause technical problems in hydrocyclones.
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Poor communication
According to Lundin is also the likelihood of discharge of oily water with more than 30 mg of oil per liter big because it would not be possible to control water rate and thus very difficult to control and reduce the oil content.
Thus stood exports to Sture again for Lundin as the best option.
Environment Directorate finds it “highly reprehensible” that this information was not submitted with the original application on October 16.
The Directorate also places’ questions at Statoil and Lundin’s internal communication and quality assurance “by submitting a discharge applications, since the original application from Statoil contained “significant errors and omissions”.
Must do reconsideration
Moreover doubt Environment Directorate on Lundin’s interpretation of high personnel risk since the alternative solutions described, used other fields without pipelines to land.
“We also believe that the environmental impact of alternative solutions is still not sufficiently explored, including a comprehensive assessment of environmental risks associated with spills offshore and discharge coastal ( Hjeltefjorden), “writes the agency.
At the start of the next production wells therefore ask the Directorate for a thorough environmental impact assessment of all alternative treatments offshore, including injection and mechanical cleaning of the mobile cleaning unit.
These estimates must now be at least two months before commencing drilling activity.
Can harm aquatic life
Chief Engineer Angelika Baumbusch the Environment Agency says that the water in conjunction with the start of production at the Edvard Grieg contains both substance in so-called green and yellow categories.
– Most chemicals emitted, such as MEG, the fabric in the green category which are readily biodegradable, non-toxic and does not accumulate. The substances in the yellow category in this case is readily biodegradable, but can be toxic to aquatic organisms, says chief engineer Angelika Baumbusch the Environment Directorate.
The water diluted with other water flows at the Sture terminal, and Hjeltefjorden have good water exchange so there is no expected environmental effects.
– But by insufficient dilution in receiving waters may be oxygen deficiency and perhaps also local toxic effects, says Baumbusch.
Vulnerable near the coast
– Is it really no point to do it any other way, when it seems to be okay to let it out in Hjeltefjorden?
– we think it’s important to look uniform on environmental offshore versus emission coastal. When released offshore gets greater dilution and where there may be less vulnerable resources than near the coast. We believe they should be rated more thorough alternative solutions, including mechanical cleaning offshore on mobile treatment plants, says Baumbusch.
Taking it seriously
Communications Director Frøydis Eldevik Lundin informs to TU that the company takes Environment Directorate feedback seriously.
– Application relating to water drainage concept for Edvard Grieg oil pipeline should have been delivered Environment Directorate earlier than was the case, and it is our responsibility as the operator to follow up on this. We are currently doing a new risk assessment of the treatment method for water at the start of the fourth production well, in line with the requirements of the Environment Directorate. We will also review our internal procedures to ensure that such processes performed better in the future, she writes in an email to TU.
Spokesperson Ole Anders Skauby of Statoil regret that the application was submitted “somewhat late” in relative to production start-up on the field.
– We note that the government wants a more thorough technical description of why it is not at a satisfactory way possible to treat completion fluid before passing ashore. By Sture the liquid treated in accordance with applicable discharge permit at the plant, he writes in an email.
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