WSSD Report FINAL! - OGP

THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY FROM RIO TO JOHANNESBURG AND BEYOND
Water management
Marathon’s water
treatment
system is helping
to make fresh
groundwater
available for
communities in
southeastern
New Mexico.
Striking water in Angola
employed in the Indian Basin Field. There, entrained
hydrogen sulphide gas is removed from water that is
produced in conjunction with natural gas. Marathon
can then use some of this produced water—rather
than ground water—in drilling operations.
In the days before this treatment technique,
Marathon had re-injected all produced water into a
non-producing formation for disposal. During 2000,
the water treatment system reduced Marathon’s fresh
groundwater use in the Indian Basin Field by about
4million gallons. Thanks to this water conservation
effort, the company is helping to ensure that fresh
groundwater is available for residential, agricultural
and other purposes in the area—now and in the future.
Oil exploration and production are not Norsk Hydro’s
only activities in Angola. The company is also
finding and producing water to irrigate a potentially
highly fertile—but heretofore arid area south of Luanda.
Using old exploration data, Norsk Hydro found
that there was an aquifer reserve about 200 metres
below the surface. Based on that information, the
company began drilling five wells for local villages. In
a country where one cubic metre of water can cost
US$7, these wells are already making a huge difference
to farmers.The wells can produce 200,000 litres a
day—enough for 6000 people and ample supplies for
350 farms of half a hectare each.
Once all the wells are drilled, Norsk Hydro intends
to teach local farmers how to utilize more modern
agricultural techniques, such as drip irrigation and
new seed varieties. This would enable the farmers to
help meet the growing demand for vegetables by
Luanda’s expanding population.
Less is more at Kwinana
BP’s Kwinana refinery in Western Australia started a
water reuse and minimization programme in
1997. Its objectives were to use less water, maximize
water reuse in refinery processes and, whenever possible,
use low quality water (such as groundwater)
instead of potable water.
A holistic approach to water management
ensured the targeting of all areas within the refinery.
Results were impressive. There was a significant
decrease in total water use. Another tangible environmental
benefit included a reduction in contaminant
loads in the refinery’s marine discharge due to
decreased flows (by 26 per cent) to the wastewater
Average daily town water usage at BP’s Kwinana refinery, 1989–2000
water usage, thousand kilolitres per day
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
A series of wells
in Luanda
provides the local
communities
with ample
supplies of fresh
water.
Average daily
water use has
decreased
dramatically at
the Kwinana
refinery since the
early 1990s.
70