BP’s proposal to drill in the Great Australian Bight has been rejected by the nation’s oil and gas regulator.
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The oil major submitted an environment plan to Nopsema for assessment on 1 October, proposing exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight.
The authority has now determined that the plan, as it stands, fails to meet acceptable environmental regulations.
However, Australian environmental organisation the Wilderness Society welcomed the recent setback, saying BP did not appear to have completed an oil pollution emergency plan or a comprehensive risk assessment and pointed to the marine life in the area as well as the harsh and remote environment the operator would be working in. The area was covered by the Ceduna 3D seismic survey, which covered 12,100sq km across Exploration Permit for Petroleum (EPP) EPP 37, EPP 38, EPP 39 and EPP 40, operated by BP with partner Statoil.
“It is usual for NOPSEMA to provide initial feedback that titleholders need to address before resubmitting an updated version”, the spokesperson said.
“(It) is a diligent and thorough regulator and we expect to have to work hard and take the time to demonstrate that we have got our environmental plan right”, she said.
“We’ve been highlighting serious concerns with BP’s required consultation and the amount of information they have put on the table with stakeholders”, Peter Owen, South Australia director of the Wilderness Society, said Tuesday.
“That … decimated that entire area (and) cost billions and billions of dollars”.
“After its Gulf of Mexico disaster, you would think BP would be at pains to demonstrate that it is going well above and beyond regulatory requirements to ensure its safety and environmental plans are the new standard of global best practice”, Owen said.
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“Even BP chief economist Spencer Dale admitted this month that oil and gas reserves will have to be left in the ground so BP should start with leaving the oil alone under the Great Australian Bight”. He has said he planned to introduce a bill next year that would give the final say on whether deep-sea drilling goes ahead to the federal environment minister rather than to the regulator.
