EPA tells oil giant to complete study on re-injecting 100% reservoir water

Oct 04, 2020 News

Demands of Environmental Permit…

Kaieteur News – Even though it has allowed ExxonMobil to dump into the ocean, produced water from the Payara project, provided that it is treated to international standards, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has still called on the oil giant to conduct a study on the feasibility of re-injecting all of the water.
This was outlined in the company’s Environmental Permit that was issued last week.
The call for the study of re-injecting all of the water that accompanies the oil when it is extracted from the reservoir, comes on the heels of concerns that Guyana is not following international best practices which dictate that nations should have a comprehensive understanding of the environmental risks of the produced water’s toxicity on marine life before granting companies permission to dump it into the ocean. Research also notes that produced water should only be dumped into the ocean when it is just not feasible for it to be re-injected into the earth’s surface.
In Guyana’s case, not a single study was done for the Liza Phase One or Two projects. Yet, Guyana went full steam ahead with approving the permits for those projects. Recognizing the grave mistake made in this regard, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was headed by Dr. Vincent Adams before he was sent on leave, had strongly advocated for ExxonMobil to put systems in place for the re-injection of the produced water for the Payara project.
Dr. Adams had said that he is not a proponent for the dumping of produced water into the ocean. He said that the Liza Destiny vessel is already dumping 4,000 barrels of produced water into the ocean and in about six years, it will get to about 300,000 barrels.
Dr. Adams had said: “I have worked in the oil fields as a Production and Reservoir engineer and we injected every single drop of water. If you are onshore, the water would obviously have to be re-injected. Also, the World Bank has made it clear that you should only dispose of produced water into the ocean when it is not technically feasible.”
In ExxonMobil’s case, Dr. Adams contended that it is more than feasible.
Kaieteur News understands that ExxonMobil has about 30 days upon the receipt of its permit dated September 24, 2020, to submit the terms of reference for the study detailing the feasibility of re-injecting produced water in lieu of routine discharge to the ocean, including implementation for future installation of facilities for produced water injection and an evaluation of any potential risks to the reservoir from injection, a full cost benefit analysis, and a permit holder’s recommendations.
Within 180 days of the date of the EPA’s approval of the terms of reference, Exxon has to complete the study’s final reports which would be conducted by an independent consultant approved by the EPA.

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