WSSD Report FINAL! - OGP

CONTRIBUTING TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Engagement and community outreach
Such engagement and community outreach is
integral to the oil and gas industry’s environmental
and social assessment process. It also
makes good business sense. For existing operations,
it can maintain good relations or improve
those that may have deteriorated. For new projects,
the sooner we know and understand
community views, the better. This reduces the
chance of later opposition, delays or costly
modifications. Just as important, it opens up
opportunities for potential partnerships,
enhances project credibility and acceptability
and gives early access to additional specialist
expertise, competence and support, which in
turn facilitate bringing sustainable benefits to
the community.
The community always matters …
The American Petroleum Institute held an
Industry Best Practices Conference on
Exploration and Production Community
Outreach in December 2000. This conference
provided critical information on the best programmes and approaches
for upstream oil and gas operations in order to effectively partner and
interact with the communities in which they operate. An effective
community outreach programme is essential to obtain and maintain a
‘licence to operate’ within these communities. The conference
included numerous North American case studies, a perspective from
programmes in developing countries, information on community
expectations, resources available to develop these programmes, and a
communication and partnering workshop. In addition, API released a
new guidelines document on this subject entitled Community Matters,
which is currently available from API.
Actions speaking louder than words
Case studies on engagement and community outreach
Philippines community consultations
In the past, it was the operator who determined the
site of an offshore facility. At Shell’s Malampaya
deepwater gas to power project, the platform location
and pipeline route were the subject of extensive
consultations with local communities.
After considerable local input was factored into
scientific assessments, the platform is now in place
and has been operating since the end of 2001. It is in
an area that is not fished commercially and has negligible
coral growth. The offshore pipeline will be long
enough to avoid environmental and earthquake risks.
Equally important, its route takes account of local
aquaculture, fishing grounds and sacred areas.
Other issues raised during the dialogue on development
included concerns about the potential
impacts of river transport on safety and fisheries and
the ramifications of secondary development as a
result of road construction. These, too, have been
reflected in the project.
Getting to know the neighbours
Calgary, Canada’s oil capital, has greatly expanded
in recent years—so much so that parts of the city
are now close to a major sour gas reservoir. When
Nexen, which had been producing from this reservoir
for 30 years, planned to expand operations to hasten
field depletion, local residents were understandably
concerned.
Despite Nexen’s unblemished safety record in the
area, the public was outraged over what they per-
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