Fielding a series of questions from curious West Bank of Demerara residents on the US$900 million Wales gas-to-shore project, ExxonMobil representative Friedrich Krispin on Thursday disclosed that only a small portion of mangroves will be removed to facilitate the transportation of materials during the construction phase.
“When we come onshore at Crane, we will try to avoid the mangroves because we will be burying the pipes but whatever impact it may have on the mangroves, it will be included in the EIA [Environment Impact Assessment],” Krispin said as he responded to a question on the deforestation impacts of the project by Sukanand (only name given) at a public scoping meeting held at the Patentia Primary School.
It was pointed out that pipelines will be laid 12 inches underground following the existing road and canal network with a six-meter buffer zone.
Krispin, a project manager with Exxon, explained that throughout the project Exxon is hoping that the environmental impact will be minimal.
He related that based on current plans they do not foresee the need to clear large swathes of trees and only a small portion of mangroves will have to be cleared to facilitate a temporary wharf during the construction phase.
“So the Wales district is an old plantation, so the line will go through it and there is a certain area we are envisioning the plant to go to and where there are not many trees… We do need to clean out [an entire] area where the temporary material offloading facility will be. We do need to clean off an area but it will be quite minimal,” he explained to Stabroek News at the end of the meeting.
It was also pointed out that in the EIA, Exxon will indicate the need to remove vegetation but will also make provisions to revegetate or replace the amount of forests removed during the construction period.
Concerns have been raised over the destruction of mangrove forest along the West Bank of Demerara to facilitate development for the oil and gas field. ExxonMobil’s local affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL), which submitted an application to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for environmental authorisation for the project, notes in the summary that it entails the construction and operation of a 12-inch pipeline, approximately 220 kilometers long, from the Liza Phase 1 and Liza Phase 2 Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the offshore Stabroek Block, to an onshore natural gas liquids (NGL) and natural gas processing plant (NGL Plant) located at Wales. The pipeline is expected to transport up to approximately 50 million standard cubic feet per day (MMSCFD) of dry gas to the Natural Gas Liquid Plant but has a maximum flow of approximately 120 MMSCFD.
Additionally, residents were informed that the project site will be located 11 kilometers from Patentia and will be at least one to two miles inland from the Demerara River.
Exxon’s Project Manager explained to residents that a specific location has not been established as yet since they are assessing the topography, hydrology and soil type of the land before earmarking the site.
Residents were curious to know of the location and whether they will face any negative impacts after the project is completed.
During the meeting, it was disclosed that both the gas to shore plant and the power generation plant will be constructed simultaneously next to each other. However, residents were told that EEPGL will only be responsible for the construction of the gas to shore plant while the government will be responsible for the construction and financing of the power generation plant.
Providing clarity on additional questions, Krispin spoke of the company’s high standards globally. On this note, he said that Exxon has strict waste management policies geared at preventing pollution and contamination of the air.
Sukanand had questioned how the company will monitor leakages, gas spills, and possible air pollution, among other things.
According to Krispin, the company will utilise advanced pipeline inspection gauges to monitor the project at all times. This, he pointed out, will aid in the monitoring and detection of any abnormalities. “We will do everything in our power to design the machinery properly and beyond that we have these things called PIGS [pipeline integrity gadgets], which we send through the pipelines to assess its integrity. We will train personnel to deal with leakages and how to address it if there is any,” Krispin stated.
Employment
Meanwhile, although the meeting was intended to address potential areas of concern for the environment assessment, residents utilised the opportunity to enquire about economic opportunities that will be available to them. They were informed that during the construction phase of the project, there will be employment opportunities for close to 300 persons, in addition to the need for accommodation, food and entertainment spots. The residents were encouraged to sign up with the Centre for Local Business Development to find out more about the opportunities that will be made available.
They were also informed that the Centre will be visiting the area with representatives of their subcontractors to identify the needs and wants for the project.
Residents were also informed that the possibility exists for them to benefit from improved roads in their community since the company will require proper roads to transport materials. However, Krispin said that this is a discussion they are yet to have with the government as to who will maintain the road during the course of the project and upgrade in preparation for the construction.
One resident applauded the team for visiting and enlightening the area about the project. He noted that since the announcement of the project, no government official had visited and explained what the development entails and how they will be able to benefit.
“Nobody shares in-formation on this project like Exxon. That’s why we want to know exactly so when we leave here we can be able to answer questions if people ask us but the government has not been sharing information. They should have preceded Exxon, saying that look these people are going to come and they’re going to talk to you about this. Or prepare us. This is new for us and there won’t be another time like this. We are thankful for this,” he stated.
With the impact assessment for the Wales gas-to-shore project imminent, the EPA has invited public submissions on the scope of the study for the project, which is expected to begin operations in 2024. In a public notice, the EPA noted that the project, with attendant onshore and offshore components, could have possible effects on the environment, including impacts to marine water quality, air quality, marine and terrestrial flora and fauna and socio-economic resources, among others As a result, it has determined that an EIA must be undertaken before the project is approved.
The planned government-owned power plant is not included in the scope of the project’s application, except for its consideration when addressing cumulative impacts for the project.
Persons have until today to send questions or submissions to the EPA so that their concerns may be considered in the EIA.
The EIA and other studies are being funded by EEPGL. They have also selected their own consultants for the project since, according to this country’s current EPA Act, the contractor has to select the consultant from an EPA-approved list of persons.
The companies working on the EIA are Environmental Resource Management (ERM), Ground Structure Engineering Consultants, the University of Guyana Faculty of Earth and Environmental Science, Leon Moore Nature Experience, E&A Consultants, Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants and internationally-recognised SLR Consulting.
