Green thinking - Skanska

68 Local impactLocal impact 69What other company would gladly talkabout construction projects in the Amazon?1Case Study: Local impactLocation: Urucu-Manaus, Brazil.Challenge: Construct a gas pipeline through an ecologically sensitive area in the Amazon.Completed: August 2009.To substitute imported oil with cleaner and locally produced natural gas, a 416-mile/670-kilometer pipeline was laid in northwestern Brazil. It passed through a sensitive rainforestarea in the Amazon. A biodiversity inventory revealed, for example, 192 fishspecies, 56 species of large mammals, 11 species of primate, around 600 bird species, and29 types of bats.“An inventory of all areas involved was made before starting construction. It describedthe native species, as a basis for the recuperation program to be executed after theconstruction and installation of the pipeline,” says Mauro de Oliveira Louveiro, ProjectImplementation Manager for the North Region at Petrobras.To avoid disturbing this environment, pipes and heavy equipment were transportedby barge to get as close as possible to the construction site. The site was then secured toprevent non-native species from entering, and pipeline sections were inspected to prevent“free riders”. Noise and lighting were restricted to avoid disturbing nocturnal animal life.To bury the gas line 3 feet/1 meter deep, a vegetation corridor of 45 to 65 feet/14 to20 meters was cleared in the rainforest. This opening favored some species, but notothers, so a program of detection, transferring and health care was implemented for allspecies that were found in the track of the pipeline.When the pipeline was completed, access roads and all the facilities installed during theconstruction period were removed, and the area reforested to prevent future exploitation.These measures – and others – satisfied the environmental organizations that had beendeeply concerned about the project. Read more about it at skanska.com/manauspipeline.