BRENT SPAR: NEW PROJECT TO EXAMINE FUTURE OF DECOMMISSIONING
London, 24 June 1997
Two years after Shell announced that it would not dump the Brent Spar at sea, Greenpeace has launched a new initiative to bring oil companies, governments and interested groups together to develop on-shore decommissioning strategies.
There are up to 100 oil and gas installations in the North Sea which may be decommissioned in the next ten years and at present there is no integrated system for managing this process. The new project, called 'Beyond Sparring' has been developed and funded by Greenpeace and is being carried out by SustainAbility Ltd. It aims to involve the key stakeholders - individuals and groups with an interest in decommissioning - in the development of integrated strategies for removal and reuse or recycling.
Over the next few months Greenpeace and SustainAbility will meet with opinion-formers from key stakeholder groups including the oil industry, engineering industry, UK and other governments, local authorities, interested NGO's and the recycling industry.
The project has three main aims, to build the case for an integrated approach across all the installations due for decommissioning, known as the Integrated Removal Strategy (IRS); to move towards a consensus on the IRS amongst all the stakeholders and to base the IRS on the three elements of sustainable development: environmental, social and economic. After consultation proposed for July, August and September, a conference will follow, probably at the end of September with a final report being published around November 1997.
The project will build on the current consultation process being carried out by Shell on the future of the Brent Spar. Deputy Executive Director of Greenpeace Chris Rose said, "We need solutions to the problem of decommissioning. The short-listed ideas for handling the Brent Spar show that there are alternatives to ocean dumping that are economically, socially and environmentally responsible and this new initiative will extend that thinking into a more global and integrated process. Brent Spar was the focus of this problem but the agenda has moved on. Now we must work towards a solution for the whole issue".
Brent Spar Anniversary
Chairman of SustainAbility John Elkingon said, "Focusing on a single structure gives one set of answers. Think instead of the many thousands world-wide and the answers could change. Shell has worked hard to consult its stakeholders since the Brent Spar controversy.
The new knowledge generated is a great step forward. Now it is time to expand the debate and look for sustainable options on the global scale. This is a massive challenge, but it is do-able."
Notes to correspondents:
1) The Greenpeace campaign to prevent the Brent Spar being dumped was fought in 1995 on the principle that dumping at sea was wrong. On June 20th Shell overturned its decision to dump the Brent Spar in the North East Atlantic. The Spar is still in a Norwegian Fjord awaiting the outcome of the consultation process on its future disposal.
2) SustainAbility is an award-winning strategic management consultancy. Founded in 1987, it is the longest established international consultancy dedicated to promoting the business case for sustainable development. The focus is on business solutions which are socially responsible, environmentally sound and economically viable.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Greenpeace Press Office on +44(0)171-865 8255/6/7/8