ENVIRONMENTAL AND SAFETY LEGISLATION FOR THE OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS SECTOR IN KAZAKHSTAN: A CRITICAL REVIEW

2005 ◽  
Vol 07 (04) ◽  
pp. 705-733
Author(s):  
JUAN PALERM ◽  
INESSA RUDENKO ◽  
JEAN-LOUIS TEURLAI ◽  
TATYANA VASSILEVSKAYA ◽  
JOSEP RENAU
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Industrial Safety ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Standards And Regulations ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Kazakhstan has shown an increase in its offshore oil and gas (O&G) prospection and operation activities in the Caspian Sea since 1998, so far with a limited number of operators, but which is about to increase significantly. This is of concern, considering that the environmental and industrial safety regulatory framework is still inadequate for the prevention of pollution from a large number of operators in a very sensitive aquatic ecosystem. This paper reports on the results of a study undertaken for the European Commission Tacis programme aimed at enhancing the environmental and industrial safety regulatory framework in order to align it with EU and international best practice. Based on a comprehensive analysis of applicable international standards and regulations, as well as those of Kazakhstan, ten issues are identified which require urgent attention. These issues are discussed and recommendations made on how to address them in order to improve the regulatory system.

Out of sight out of mind – subsea pipeline decommissioning

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Jas ◽  
Allison Selman ◽  
Valerie Linton
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Maturity Stage ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Offshore Pipelines ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Existing legislation, regulation and documentation dealing with decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure has traditionally been derived from experience gained in the North Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The Australian operating environments are very different and, consequently, there is no Australian industry-wide engineering standard dedicated to the decommissioning of offshore pipelines. Decommissioning of Australian offshore pipelines is currently handled on a case-by-case basis. The efficiency and effectiveness of any given decommissioning project is variable, and highly dependent upon the experience of the pipeline operator. Given the maturity stage of the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, it is foreseen that in the coming years many operators will approach the task of decommissioning offshore pipelines for the first time. In 2014 the Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre (EPCRC) formed an offshore users group, comprising pipeline experts from several offshore oil and gas operators and engineering consultancies that are members of the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association’s Research and Standards Committee (APGA RSC). This group is developing an engineering guideline for the decommissioning of offshore pipelines. It is being developed in close communication with the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA), which has formed a decommissioning committee in relation to offshore facilities. This ensures the guideline is being developed by and with input from a broad spectrum of the Australian offshore oil and gas industry, with the aim of capturing best practice in the Australian context.

Can the Caspian Sea Survive its Own Oil? Environmental Regulation of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry in the Caspian Sea

2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-456
Author(s):  
Elena Karataeva
Keyword(s):  
Caspian Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Oil And Gas Industry ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Gas Industry ◽  
Industry Regulation ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Offshore Industry ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

This article critically examines the shortcomings of the offshore industry regulation in the Caspian Sea and proposes a framework to strengthen it. It considers the hydrocarbon industry and resources of the Caspian Sea region and analyses the extent and impacts of Caspian offshore oil and gas activities on its environment, reviews selected regional and global regulatory frameworks for the offshore oil and gas industry and their effectiveness, discusses existing shortcomings of the national and regional regulation of the Caspian offshore oil and gas industry, and provides suggestions on how it could be improved, drawing on the experience and regulatory formulations from other regions of the world.

scholarly journals Technogenic risks of building and operation of oil and gas complexes in offshore area of the Caspian Sea

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (4) ◽  
pp. 46-59
Author(s):  
Николай Панасенко ◽  
Nikolay Panasenko ◽  
Алексей Синельщиков ◽  
Aleksey Sinel'schikov ◽  
Павел Яковлев ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caspian Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas Production ◽  
Offshore Area ◽  
Oil And Gas Fields ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Gas Fields ◽  
Offshore Oil

The article touches upon the problem of technogenic risks arising in the course of building and operating oil and gas complexes in the Caspian Sea taking into account the adoption of the Con-vention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea and regulation of the territorial division of the Caspian Sea. Technological risks are presented from the position of safety of industrial facilities in the offshore area and in the coastal zone, the impact of these facilities on the ecology of the Caspian is considered. The risk analysis was carried out taking into account world experience, as well as incidents that occurred at the offshore oil and gas production facilities in the Caspian Sea. There has been presented the layout of oil and gas fields at the bottom of the Caspian Sea and the division of the bottom based on adopting the Convention. A general description of the Caspian Sea has been given; unique features of the Caspian and the most unexplored seismic effects have been stated. It has been recommended to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the state of the seabed according to seismological, mud, volcanic and engineering-geological conditions; to develop measures for preventing and reducing the damage from hazardous natural processes and exploitation of oil and gas fields; to forecast the fluctuations of the Caspian Sea level, taking into account today’s economic activity; to study the natural and technogenic factors determining the environmental safety of the Caspian Sea; to monitor seismic phenomena, crustal movement in zones of tectonic faults at the sea bottom, etc. The speed and direction of wind currents in the Caspian Sea have been analyzed. The maps of mud volcanoes location in the Caspian basin (located on land, hidden and identified by seismic, geological, geophysical and geochemical methods, etc.) are illustrated. Conclusions are made about the high risks for developing hydrocarbon deposits in the Caspian Sea basin. There is the need to take into account environmental requirements and standards, to use modern technologies, to prevent incidents at offshore oil and gas production facilities.

scholarly journals Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Agreement: One Year Later

1984 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 132 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Doucet, Q.C.
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Revenue Sharing ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
One Year ◽  
Offshore Oil

The Canada Nova Scotia Agreement on Offshore Oil and Gas Resource Management and Revenue Sharing has been in effect since March 1, 1982. After one year of operation, the Agreement has been renewed to consider whether the legal and regulatory framework is onductive to propert offshore managemen and also to determine the Agreement's general impact on the petroleum industry on the Scotian Shelf.

Following-Up on Uncertain Environmental Assessment Predictions: The Case of Offshore Oil Projects and Seabirds Off Newfoundland and Labrador

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (01) ◽  
pp. 1650004 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Fraser ◽  
J. Russell
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Migratory Birds ◽  
Prediction Uncertainty ◽  
Oil Exploitation ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Environmental assessments (EAs) predict project environmental effects with varying degrees of certainty. Articulating prediction uncertainty and linking it to EA follow-up is a best practice for reducing uncertainty. This study examines predictions from Canadian oil projects off Newfoundland and Labrador between 1985 and 2012 concerning seabirds, the valued ecosystem component identified as the most vulnerable to oil exploitation in an area frequented by millions of migratory birds. We asked if these EA predictions: (a) reported uncertainty ratings;  (b) for those reporting medium and high uncertainty ratings whether the predictions were addressed by EA follow-up; and (c) if prediction uncertainty was reduced by EA follow-up and reflected in subsequent EAs. Prediction uncertainty reporting was rare and uncertainties were not resolved through EA follow-up. Assumptions of negligible or low environmental effects on seabirds off Newfoundland and Labrador from offshore oil and gas extraction have been supported through decades by sustaining uncertainty.

scholarly journals Providing safety and reliability in the design of the offshore ice-resistant stationary oil and gas structures

Vestnik MGSU ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 167-177
Author(s):  
Valentin Aleksandrovich Polit’ko ◽  
Igor’ Grigor’evich Kantarzhi
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Limit States ◽  
Structure Reliability ◽  
The Social ◽  
Safety And Reliability ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

Safety and reliability factors, assumed in Russian and international standards, as well as the main provisions of design of offshore oil and gas structures are considered in the article. The reasons for structures destruction are classified. The analysis showed that the main design provisions and methodology of calculations related to provision of safe and reliable operation of offshore oil and gas structures by different standards are not fundamentally different: the required degree of reliability of the structure is set depending on the social and economic consequences of possible hydrodynamic accidents; calculations are based on the limit states design method using partial safety factors; etc. However, the factors accounting the degree of the structure reliability, partial safety coefficients and load combinations coefficients differ in different standards and methodologies.

scholarly journals The main directions of sustainable socio-economic development of the Caspian littoral areas of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the existing environmental problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 652-665
Author(s):  
Zaur T. Imrani ◽  
Shakar İ. Mammadova ◽  
Nasiba N. Hadjiyeva ◽  
Oleksandr Y. Vysotskyi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Caspian Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
The Caspian Sea ◽  
Development Level ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Offshore Oil And Gas ◽  
Offshore Oil

In Azerbaijan, since the earliest times, the Caspian Sea has contributed to the Received in revised form: 07.10.2021 settlement of population and structure of the economy. The favourable natural geographical conditions of the coasts, exploitation of offshore oil and gas fields and rich tourist-recreational potential favoured the economy of Azerbaijan significantly. However, sea-level fluctuations and environmental damage observed due to exploitation of natural resources served as curbing factor in the development. In modern times, planning of residential areas in the coastal areas, improvement of industrial, agricultural and tourism infrastructure, and successful management of the ecological situation are achievable through effective use of the natural resources and human potential of the Caspian Sea. The coastal region of the Caspian Sea, composed of three zones, is favourable for the development of Azerbaijan’s economy. Theattractiveness of coastal areas is related mainly to preferences of natural conditions and resources and the advantages of their transport- geographical location. As a result, the development level of the economy of the Pre-Caspian region is higher compared to other regions of the country. The region accounts for 88.7 % of the total industrial output in the country. The main part of it, i. e. 95.7 % is shared by the city of Baku. The cause of significant difference in development level between the regions and the capital Baku is associated with the use of oil and gas resources of the Caspian. Thus, offshore oil and gas reserves in the Caspian have played a notable role in the development of coastal areas, and of the country’s whole economy. This has led to inequality in terms of regional development. This factor prompted the need to study the role of the use of resources of the Caspian Sea in the sustainable development of Azerbaijan’s economy. In order to achieve the goal, a comparative analysis of the leading economic branches in the Pre-Caspian regions was carried out from a historical point of view. The obtained information was systematized, and the socio-economic aspects of sustainable development were identified based on statistical-mathematical materials. Aerospace data were used as well.

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