Brussels, 28/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - Certain European Green party members and the ecological association Greenpeace are calling on the EU to adopt stricter rules in terms of the safety of offshore gas and oil platforms, following a gas leak on a rig belonging to the energy company Total in the North Sea.
Following the leak on 25 March, the British branch of Total ceased production of gas and oil on the North Sea Elgin-Franklin rig and set in place a maritime exclusion zone of two miles. Twenty-three tonnes of gas are believed to have escaped into the sea in 48 hours from this rig, which has a daily production capacity of 280,000 oil-equivalent barrels, 175,000 barrels of condensate and 15.5 million cubic metres of gas. Although described as “minimal” at this stage as regards its impact on the environment, this latest accident confirms the Greens in their position in favour of a stricter European regulatory framework for oil and gas exploration and extraction activities at sea. “How many alerts or disasters will it take for the management of oil rigs to be finally taken seriously? In October 2011, the European Parliament called for the rules to be tightened up regarding the safety of oil and gas platforms offshore. This latest incident once again shows the urgent need to act in this field and the need for a moratorium on any new operations at sea”, insisted Sandrine Bélier (Greens/EFA, France), on Wednesday 28 March. With its 500 platforms, the North Sea is one of the areas of Europe most exposed to pollution from the major oil and gas exploration and extraction industries, she pointed out.
In the opinion of the ecological NGO Greenpeace, the safety rules “are not tough enough”. The energy company Total “boasted of its safe installations”, but the company has proved that it is “no better” than BP, the owner of the rig Deepwater Horizon, which in April 2010 caused an unprecedented oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico.
In October 2011, the European Commission presented a draft regulation, currently being examined by the Parliament and Council, which aimed to subject offshore oil and gas operations to the highest possible standards in terms of safety and protection of health and the environment (see EUROPE 10484). In light of the 2010 disaster, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in September 2011, in which it expressed its desire to make operating permits for new oil or gas fields in the territorial waters of the EU conditional upon the presentation of the operators' emergency plans and proof of sufficient financial resources to repair any damage caused to the environment (see EUROPE 10451). In the face of the opposition of certain member states, led by the United Kingdom, the Commission gave up on the idea of a moratorium in its proposals of October 2010 (see EUROPE 10235). (EH/transl.fl)