We have all seen the media images of the Russian strongarm tactics to repel the Greenpeace boarders from the Prirazlomnaya platform in the Barents Sea and I am sure that most of us were thinking the same thought: “Job well done Russia!”
Our world and global economy is dominated and fuelled by hydrocarbons. The oil and gas industry is dedicated to extracting as much oil and gas as possible from conventional and unconventional reserves, safely and in an environmentally responsible manner to support this. To do so oil and gas operators work within strict governmental guidelines, laws and industry codes of practice to produce hydrocarbons without harm to human life or the surrounding environment.
What is the purpose, I wonder, of these stunts by Greenpeace other than for self-gratifying, media focused, dangerous and attention seeking acts – they even have to take their own photographs and video.
The Prirazlomnaya platform is a highly engineered structure designed to withstand the extreme forces of ice in the Barents Sea. It is a significant investment by its owner Gazprom – one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers – and is a fantastic example of operators pushing the boundaries to extract oil and gas.
Gazprom need to protect their brand and provide a good investment vehicle for their shareholders. They do this by working within the law, efficiently, safely and with no harm to the environment.
In another development, Dart Energy Scotland are exploiting coal bed methane gas in the Forth Valley and are currently supplying up to 700 homes in the area with electricity from this ‘gas to power’ project. They are drilling conventional wells into coal seams to unlock pockets of gas and have plans to double their gas production through conventional means. Why are their submitted plans to Falkirk and Stirling County Councils taking so long?
The UK has a sophisticated licence and consent process both on and offshore to ensure companies are working within a legal boundary and protecting our workers and environment. The UK has been drilling onshore wells for several decades within the legal framework and without major incident. We have to ask why has Dart’s planning process taken so long and have the anti-hydrocarbon activists actions unnecessarily extended this process, thereby delaying local investment, government royalties and eroding project value to the investor?
Globally we will be dependent on the production and use of hydrocarbons to fuel our economy for the foreseeable future. Absolutely we need a legislative framework to support companies producing oil and gas as we seek unconventional sources of reserves and continue to push the exploration and production boundaries beyond preconceived norms.
The environmental campaigners should seek to lobby and influence the policy makers to ensure the boundaries set for companies are acceptable and enforced.
There is no purpose or place however for Greenpeace style “stunts” or slurring of scientific fact. Let’s get on with the job to keep the economy running and growing?
Jonathan White has more than 26 years marketing, business and communications experience in the oil and gas industry. Views expressed are his own.
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