Nexen Petroleum UK Limited Cragganmore Appraisal Well Environmental Statement Non ...

392 Pages·2017·14.85 MB·English

Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited
Cragganmore Appraisal Well Environmental Statement

Non-Technical Summary

Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138
Rev: 03

Document Owner:
Required Review Date:
ISSUE RECORD SUMMARY

00 04/09/17 Draft for internal QA CN / SJS GW GW
01 08/09/17 Issue for Nexen review CN / SJS GW GO
02 25/09/17 Issue for Partner review SJS GW AB
03 03/10/17 Final SJS GW GO

Rev Date Revision Description Prepared Checked Approved

Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

Detailed Amendment History Sheet

Rev Date Revision Description

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Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

Table of Contents

1.0 Project Overview 1
2.0 The Existing Environment 3
2.1 Physical Environment 3
2.2 Biological Environment 4
2.3 Socio-Economic Environment 11
3.0 Hazards, Effects and Mitigation Measures 12
4.0 Environmental Management 27
5.0 Conclusion 27
6.0 References 29

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Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

List of Acronyms

AIS Automatic Identification System
ALARP As Low As Reasonably Practicable
API American Petroleum Institute
ARPA Automatic Radar Plotting Aid
BHA Bottom-hole Assembly
BOP Blow-out Preventer
BWM Ballast Water Management Convention
CGOC Coastguard Operations Centre
CL-SAT Consent to Locate Subsidiary Application Template
DP Dynamically Positioned
DRA Drilling Operations Application
EBS Environmental Baseline Survey
EDS Emergency Disconnect System
EMS Environmental Management System
ERP Emergency Response Plan
ERRV Emergency Response and Rescue Vessel
EU European Union
EUNIS European Nature Information System
FEAST Feature Activity Sensitivity Tool
HSE Health and Safety Executive
HSE&SR Health, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility
IBA Important Bird Area
ICES International Council for the Exploration of the Seas
IMO International Maritime Organisation
IWCF International Well Control Forum
JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committee
LMRP Lower Marine Riser Package
LTOBM Low Toxicity Oil based Mud
LWD Logging While Drilling
MA Major Accident
MARPOL International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships
MCA Maritime and Coastguard Agency
MDAC Methane Derived Authigenic Carbonate
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Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

MEI Major Environmental Incident
MEPC Marine Environment Protection Committee
MOD Ministry of Defence
MSL Mean Sea Level
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NCMPA Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area
OCNS Offshore Chemical Notification Scheme
OCR Offshore Chemicals Regulations
OPEP Oil Pollution Emergency Plan
OSPAR Oslo Paris Commission
OWS Oily Water Separator
PLONOR Poses Little or No Risk
PON Petroleum Operations Notice
ROV Remotely Operated Vehicle
SAC Special Area of Conservation
cSAC Candidate Special Area of Conservation
SEA Strategic Environmental Assessment
SECE Safety and Environmentally Critical Element
SEPA Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
SFF Scottish Fishermen’s Federation
SMRU Sea Mammal Research Unit
SMTZ Sulphate-Methane Transition Zone
SOPEP Ship-board Oil Pollution Emergency Plan
SOSI Seabird Oil Sensitivity Index
SPA Special Protection Area
SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest
TCC Thermo-mechanical Cuttings Cleaning
UCKS United Kingdom Continental Shelf
UKMS UK Management System
VTS Vessel Traffic Survey
WBM Water Based Mud
WMS Waste Management Standard

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Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

1.0 Project Overview
Nexen Petroleum U.K. Limited acting on behalf of itself and its co-venturers in Licence P.1598
(hereafter referred to as ‘Nexen’) is planning to drill the Cragganmore appraisal well under Licence
P.1598 in UKCS Block 208/17a, located approximately 86 kilometres (km) north-west from the
nearest landfall at Unst (Shetland Islands) and approximately 88 km south-east from the UK/Faroe
Islands median line. The proposed Cragganmore appraisal well lies 6 km to the south of the
North-east Faroe-Shetland Channel Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area (NCMPA) and 10
km to the north of the Faroe-Shetland Sponge Belt NCMPA (Figure.1.1).
The appraisal well will be a vertical wellbore and will target the Vaila sands formation. The water
depth at the proposed well location is approximately 724 metres Mean Sea Level (MSL). The well
will be drilled with either a semi-submersible drilling rig or drillship, suitable for harsh environment
deepwater drilling operations. The exact drilling unit is yet to be confirmed. The drilling unit will
either be Dynamically Positioned (DP) or fixed in position using anchors.
The appraisal drilling activities are scheduled to take place in the spring/summer of 2018, with an
earliest commencement date of 1st April 2018. It is estimated that the drilling unit will be in use
(including mobilisation and demobilisation) for up to 140 days. The expected hydrocarbon is gas
with condensate.
Once drilling of the well is complete, a wire-line logging and coring programme will take place. The
well will also be tested at the Vaila sands formation. The well test will not result in the production
of over 2,000 tonnes of oil or have a total flow duration (including clean-up flow periods) greater
than 96 hours (i.e. is not classified as an extended well test).
Following cessation of operations, the well will be plugged and abandoned.
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Cragganmore Appraisal Well
Environmental Statement
Non-Technical Summary
Document No.: ECS-HS-STA-50138

Figure 1.1: Location of the proposed Cragganmore appraisal well in relation to protected
areas
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