LUKOIL IS PREPARING TO CONTRIBUTE ITS RICH HSE EXPERTISE FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MEXICAN CAMPECHE BAY

David Perez

Last month LUKOIL was awarded offshore Block 12 by the Mexican government during the latest bidding round (2.1). The company plans to begin exploration activities as soon as it’s feasible, however, one of its first tasks prior to doing work in Mexico is preparing to meet stringent local environmental regulations.

The Agencia de Seguriedad, Energia Y Ambiente (ASEA), or the Agency for the Safety of Energy and the Environment, has established aggressive timelines for completion of environmental requirements prior to putting the drill bit in the ground. LUKOIL must first conduct an offshore environmental baseline study followed by other requirements that are broken down into 4 phases:

PHASE I – DATA GATHERING

Existing data regarding the environmental conditions of the block is gathered, analyzed and compiled into a database for later verification.

PHASE II – FIELD WORK PLANNING & EXECUTION

Field work will use a vessel to collect offshore marine samples within the water, on the seafloor and under the seabed. The survey will also determine if there are existing environmental conditions in the block and identify whether there are remnant structures on the seafloor that should be removed, which could include pipelines, waste or debris.

PHASE III – REPORTING

he collected samples and data are analyzed and written into a report, which will be used for the drafting of three documents. These will include a Regional Environmental Impact, a Block 12 Environmental Impact Statement and an Environmental Risk Assessment for each proposed well. These studies are submitted to ASEA for approval before the permitting is started.

PHASE IV – PERMITTING

Permits for the drilling of each proposed well are then provided and the drilling can commence once the permits are approved.

All phases must be completed within 180 days. This restriction is part of the new regulations imposed on all operators. With a view towards mitigating this potentially critical path to drilling preparedness, the approval process will need to be started early upon entry into the block. LUKOIL, having developed expertise via its Amatitlan project in Mexico, is well prepared for this fast-paced approval process. With an eye on the prize, LUKOIL continues to be a leader in the protection of the environment in all areas of the world where it operates.

David Perez – HSE Manager, LUKOIL Upstream West