Engineering Within Ecological Constraints (1996) / Chapter Skim
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Engineering for Development in Environmentally Sensitive Areas: Oil Operations in a Rain Forest
Engineering for Development in Environmentally Sensitive Areas: Oil Operations in a Rain Forest
Pages 139-162
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From page 141... ...
Rapid human population increases are occurring in less developed, tropical countries where biological diversity is greatest. Here, deforestation is resulting in the rapid loss of rain forest habitat, potentially eliminating species about which little is known.
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From page 142... ...
Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara County has some of the best rocky intertidal habitat in California, supporting the biodiversity that was lost from more populated areas of the coast many years ago. The Guadalupe Dunes oil field in Santa Barbara County consists of oil wells, pipelines, roads, and oil storage and treatment facilities.
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From page 143... ...
An environmental reconnaissance study is conducted to identify the major ecological features of each site. Environmental reconnaissance Project design/siting 1 1 1 Project operation Project Environmental proposal/ ~ | impact alternatives assessm ent , Project _ Environmental construction ~monitoring 1 !
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From page 144... ...
Tropical forests are also rich in substances, both medicinal and industrial, that are useful to their indigenous residents as well as society at large (Lewis, 1990J. Tropical rain forests receive 80-300 inches of rainfall a year (Holdridge, 1967J.
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From page 145... ...
Oil development in the tropics has often also included major road construction. Compared with deforestation and habitat loss, environmental pollution from oil operations using contemporary technologies and practices is a lesser, though potentially significant issue in the tropics.
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From page 146... ...
The remainder of this paper describes the major environmental and social issues relevant to the project (Lindstedt-Siva and Chamberlain, 1991) , and discusses some of the ARCO programs in place during the exploration phase, as well as plans for the development phase of the project.
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From page 147... ...
\ ~ Pipeline / ~ id'; Tiguino Ambato ~ L._:~, Puyo Block 10 A E C U A D O R \~/ ~ , ~ North o 1 oo miles 1 1 200 kilometers FIGURE 2 ARCO International Oil and Gas Co., ARCO Oriente, Block 10, Pastaza Province, Ecuador. Three exploratory oil wells were drilled at two roughly 4.5-acre sites, Moretecocha and Villano, named for nearby villages and chosen with assistance from the villagers.
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From page 148... ...
Environmental and Social Strategies it: A major goal of the company is to minimize adverse environmental and social effects of the project. Environmental guidelines for rain forest exploration operations were developed by ARCO before drilling the first exploratory well (AIOGC, 19901.
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From page 149... ...
Recovery in exposed areas begins with the growth of sun-tolerant species as the first stage of the succession process that leads to natural restoration of the forest (Brown and Press, 1992~. Construction and Heavy Equipment Construction of drill sites for exploratory wells was the only part of the project that required the use of heavy equipment in remote areas.
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From page 150... ...
ARCO Oriente personnel meet regularly with communities to maintain communication, exchange information, and resolve issues. ARCO Oriente has developed partnerships with communities in the vicinity of operations by negotiating agreements with them for the use of their land, rather than merely assuming the right to use the land according to agreements with the Ecuadorian government.
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From page 151... ...
Whether or not the project proceeds, the ideas and strategies that emerged from this process have broken new ground and provided what may be a model for development in environmentally sensitive areas. Conventional Technology and Approaches Conventional development of an oil field requires construction of drill sites, pipelines, gathering and processing facilities, and pump stations.
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From page 152... ...
The rain forest version of this approach would be to locate processing facilities and personnel quarters in a compact design at the drill site with logistical support by air. The second alternative evaluated is production processing in the field while housing personnel at the nearest community with support facilities (water, electricity, housing, roads)
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From page 153... ...
Conventional offshore oil development.
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From page 154... ...
Production Processing Technology Conventional contemporary oil field technology used to separate and treat produced oil, gas, and water is complex, requiring close monitoring and maintenance (Figure Sa, conventional technology)
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From page 155... ...
OIL OPERATIONS IN A RAIN FOREST ._ Q Q cat Q ~ ._ , Cal o tn C, of ~-'~ 1 ~m o .O = ._ .
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From page 156... ...
To avoid constructing a permanent road along the pipeline, it may be possible to build temporary roads that would be dismantled after pipeline construction. Temporary roads could be surfaced with reusable materials, such as surplus steel plating from military aircraft runways or "lumber" made from recycled plastic waste.
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From page 157... ...
If this pipeline is constructed using techniques that allow the forest canopy to remain unbroken, airborne observation will not be possible. Again using the offshore model, flow meters could be used to monitor the volume of oil in the pipe at various points.
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From page 158... ...
Neither industries nor government regulatory agencies have the resources to do long-term, baseline studies to inventory species and document natural variation of populations. Yet, accurate environmental data, useful in the project management process, are needed.
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From page 159... ...
It is important to build a base of environmental planners and managers in all countries. Industries and government agencies participating in the environmental planning and management process should also disseminate the information gained from development projects.
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From page 160... ...
A key feature of ARCO's work in the area is that oil exploration was conducted and a plan was developed for oil production and transportation without construction of new roads and with a significantly reduced "footprint." Although operations have been conducted elsewhere without constructing roads to remote areas, the ARCO concept is a significant departure from conventional operations, with clear environmental and social benefits. By applying lessons learned from oil operations around the world and encouraging creative technical thinking, a plan is being developed which is operationally sound, cost-effective, and proven by application in an offshore environment.
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From page 161... ...
1979. Tropical rain forests and coral reefs as open non-equilibrium systems.
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