Equinor confirm plans to drill the Bight
Shit, as they say on the street, is about to get real.
After months of waiting and wondering, the crew who live on the rim of the Great Australian Bight just found out that, yes, Equinor will drill for oil 300kms offshore in one of the world's wildest stretches of ocean.
The plan was only released last night and the local crew are sifting through the various parts, however there are some facts to go on.
The following image is taken from Equinor's own modelling should a Deepwater Horizon mishap occur. Not too many surfable coasts escape the muck, eh?
It's worth repeating that the map isn't the work of tree-sitting hippies looking to monkey-wrench the project but from Equinor's own modelling.
Also, Equinor, who up until last year were called Statoil, are two-thirds (67%) owned by the Norwegian people. They promote themselves as a forward-thinking, environmentally-focussed company in Norway ("The name Equinor is formed by combining “equi”, the starting point for words like equal, equality and equilibrium, and “nor”, signalling a company proud of its Norwegian origin" proclaims the company's website), yet they do their dirty work over the horizon, out of sight from the Norwegian people.
If you know any Norwegian people now might be a good time to have a quiet chat about "their" company. See if you can convince them to take up arms on Equinor's home turf.
Other solutions?
For the next 30 days you can email NOPSEMA and register your opposition to the project. The more people who do so the better, so get involved in the process!
Otherwise stay tuned for a return serve from the local crew, who've been ably assisted by Patagonia.
Remember though, this is the last chance. Nothing will change if you stay silent.
Comments
Must be decsendants of Ragnar Lothbrok - still plundering foreign lands hundreds of years later!!!
Maybe I am missing something here but who the fuck would give approval to the possibility of that big orange/brown blob ever becoming a reality. Makes Adani look like a molecule!!!
There's also this petition:
https://fightforthebight.wilderness.org.au/
Is that link you provided above a legit wilderness society web page? There is no link to that page from the official wilderness society website. Sus?
https://www.wilderness.org.au/work/great-australian-bight
Mobilise crew. This is god's country, let's make ourselves heard.
To think it can be done without incident in an ocean supported by weather systems born in the Roaring Forties and Fifties is LUDICROUS! F OFF CUN#*$.
Cannot believe this is even on the cards.. fark off!!
Done. Submission and petition. Get onto it!
Done.
Yeah bugger that.
Just submitted a stop the drilling protest and looks like number 404 submission
Submission and petition done and done.
The company says in its plan it had addressed concerns about the time it would take to install a capping stack in the event of a well blowout.
Equinor states: “Since the development of an earlier plan submitted to Nopsema, where it would have taken 35 days to install the capping stack, we have developed a plan that more than halves the deployment time to 15 days,” the draft plan states.
15 days?? And they reckon that's a solution...That's what we are dealing with. 15 seconds of spillage is unacceptable.
More here https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/19/great-australian-...
Stu, scary stuff. Does each shade refer to a certain time period after a ground zero, a probability of oil reaching that area, or does it refer to guaranteed extent of damage based on certain times taken to plug a catastrophe up?
Good reporting here from ABC also.
"What Equinor has done is remove the most confronting images from that environment plan and buried them in an appendix which most people are not going to be able to find." https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-19/great-australian-bight-drilling-e...
Everyone who lives in a coastal electorate in the south of Australia should be calling their local member about this. It's an election year. Come on people.
Both petitions done. How can our government let this happen? Absolute madness! Wankers!
Exxon Mobil recently drilled in the bass straight, why no uproar?
Plenty drilling going on off norwest shelf, no uproar?
Cherry picking a protest about drilling?
I think because Dory is in the swell shadow of Wilson's Prom there's less risk of disaster. Same goes North West Shelf.
i worked the north west shelf and bass strait platforms for 7 years and its gets some decent swell. once you leave barrow islands foot print it gets very wild, i do not agree with drilling in the bite but it has been drilled before, Ocean legend was the rig.
Do you ever feel remorse or guilt for working in such an industry?
I have a friend who ran the computer systems for a lot of the coal mines in Australia.
One night out of the blue he stated.
" we have to consider using nuclear energy for electricity".
He stated that from spending time looking at charts , stats and the overall damage to the environment. That he just couldn't see a future using coal.
He was no environmental villain either. He just saw what most people weren't privy to....
I was blown away by his statement. Yet hear we are 18 years later. Bragging about an industry that has a very destructive and limited future.
Man this shit is so heavy, why are we letting this even get to this stage? Wake up people........
Do you ever feel remorse or guilt for working in such an industry?
I have a friend who ran the computer systems for a lot of the coal mines in Australia.
One night out of the blue he stated.
" we have to consider using nuclear energy for electricity".
He stated that from spending time looking at charts , stats and the overall damage to the environment. That he just couldn't see a future using coal.
He was no environmental villain either. He just saw what most people weren't privy to....
I was blown away by his statement. Yet hear we are 18 years later. Bragging about an industry that has a very destructive and limited future.
Man this shit is so heavy, why are we letting this even get to this stage? Wake up people........
Never once have I felt guilt or remorse for working in the industry. do you feel guilt and remorse when you start your car and drive around?
I'm not that much of a driver.
I drive very little now days. I try not to consume things wrapped in plastic.
Live semi off grid. ( heating, water, most food comes from the farm.) Definitely don't fly to surf anymore.....
It's fun way to live, if you don't mind the odd struggle.
Driving to surf does happen for me so yes.
Sometimes I do. I try not waste resources though.
Because the water depth for the Baldfish prospect in Bass Strait " lies between approximately 450 – 700 m water depths" . ie 3-4 times shallower than the proposed well. Could have something to do with the uproar.
https://www.nopsema.gov.au/assets/epdocuments/A622479.pdf
I'm totally opposed to this drilling.
I live in SW Vic so my local would be ruined by a disaster in the Bight.
I've signed the petition and responded to the NOPSEMA request for feedback.
But I also need an answer to inzider's question and it's bullshit he's being demonised on this thread.
To argue against the drilling in an articulate way we need to know why this specific project is different from any other offshore drilling.
As a nation of oil users I think that's THE fundamental question here. There's been some good comments re. the challenges of plugging such a remote leak but it would be handy to have some concise points as to why this hole is any worse than the hundreds of others already in our oceans.
Let's contribute to our shared arsenal against these scumbags rather than telling the devils advocate to fuck off.
I don't mind at all being demonized
You should have read some of the shit directed at me when I questioned immunization and big pharma on previous thread!
Haha - you probably deserved it for any sort of antivax hocus pocus.
You lost me on a few of your comments further down the conversation but your general premise that we should be asking why this drilling is different from the others is legit.
What has swell got to do with it?
Gulf of Mexico *mishap*was flat ocean
Great to see the brains trust has chimed in.. let me spell it out for you
Large swell = Danger to rig = Higher risk of *mishap*
Yeah you don't need to be Einstein to work that one out. Imagine being out there mid winter with a humungous swell and 60 knot south westerlies when the pipe breaks and oil is spewing everywhere. We can fix it nooo problems....however this weather has set in so once it calms down in 2 weeks time we can get cracking. Petition signed.
Sounds like you know as much about drilling a hole as old mate from the other semi retarded rebuttal to my comment
obviously you knob have no life and no friends,get off this feed and get a life
Great comment
Really stimulates the debate.
And you know how much about the process of drilling such a hole?
OK Mr Drill inform me I always like to learn from wise and articulate people.
There is a big difference between a spill and a blowout. There are usually several signs at surface as to whether the well is taking a kick or not. mud loggers monitoring gas percentages in drilling fluid returning up the annulus out of the flow line and across the shakers. Sudden increase in flow over the shakers can possibly indicate you are taking a kick. A professional driller will be well aware of kicks and their potential to happen fast. etc etc etc etc
Well control is obviously of Paramount importance. The b o p stack on the ryza is what is used in cases of emergency to control the flow of the well. Etc etc etc
Understood that there are systems in place to monitor the well, and that there are redundancies built in to try and mitigate any failures that could result in a potential accident. And I don't claim to be across the engineering. However, like everyone else on the planet, I do know that spills happen and it is a real risk with any offshore drilling venture. The real question here is do you think the economic benefit to the shareholders of that company and the few who work for them is worth the risk to our coastline, particularly given the modelling that shows the extent of the impact should a spill occur????
Thanks Inzider for the smarty pants reply which is as clear as Mudloggers. I did look the jargon up so I am now more informed regarding oil drilling which has done nothing to ease my concern in regards to drilling in this area (which was the point of my comment). I hope you read the article by NC in Coastal Watch which includes this:
"The lease where Equinor plans to drill for oil and gas is 327 k's off Ceduna, South Australia, in about 2.5 kilometres of abyssal plain ocean. To get to any likely reserves, Equinor will have to then drill through roughly three kilometres of seabed rock. This is on par with the deepest sea-oil drilling in the world – in one of the most windblown, swell-hammered places you can imagine."
This as you can gather means it is difficult (now there is an understatement).
Also this:
'The fact that two companies like Chevron and BP thought better of the lease gives you some idea of what a gamble it’ll be.'
@inzider Can't understand your comments, even with the slightest potential that you could be trying to surf your local after an oil spill. Why risk it?
Yep....oil spills have happened, even in calm waters like the Gulf of Mexico as you say. Compare the potential to a spill in one of the most treacharous waters in the world? If your a surfer youve surely seen the storms on the charts that go through the Southern Ocean.
If you look at Equinor's own model if something happened it includes pretty much the whole South coast and even above Sydney. Is that really worth the risk?
Are you actually a surfer of do you work for them?
Or maybe I should ask, why do you think the drilling is a good thing?
Nowhere in this forum have I said it is a good thing . Yeah I surf but I also understand that to get oil out of the ground you need to drill holes I have grown up around oil rigs on my Coast for the last 50 years swells sometimes lap the bottom of these platforms at sizes of 70 ft. At the bottom of the South Island they drilled in Southern Ocean as way back as 1970 deep sea drilling is not new. Like I asked the question before what if they are not targeting oil but targeting gas. So you are happy for an Australian company to drill off my Coast and take the oil but you're not happy for a Norwegian company to drill off your Coast and take your oil or gas
I don't want to assume too much about Älskarhavet's opinion, but I'd say the issue is not where the company is from. Opposition is to do with the impact of an accident should one occur which cannot be ruled out. Just because an industry has existed for some time doesn't make it a responsible risk/reward scenario regardless of what coast is impacted, be it NZ, Australia or otherwise. As surfers we spend a lot of time in the ocean and care about our beaches and the health of the marine environment and don't want to place that at risk so a few shareholders can make a quick buck. As I asked earlier, do you think the economic benefit to the shareholders if that company and the few who work for them is worth the risk given the modelled impacts of a spill?
“Ultra-deepwater drilling is a relatively new, high-risk operation carried out mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Brazil. Ultra-deepwater drilling caused the world’s biggest oil spill accident, the Deepwater Horizon tragedy in 2010, when 800 million litres of oil spewed into the gulf for 87 days after BP attempted to drill an exploration well.
“The Great Australian Bight waters are deeper, more treacherous and more remote than the Gulf of Mexico. Equinor’s own oil spill modelling showed a spill from an ultra-deepwater well blowout in the Great Australian Bight could impact anywhere along all of southern Australia’s coast, from Western Australia right across to Victoria through Bass Strait to NSW and around Tasmania. A spill could hit Adelaide in 20 days and could hit Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island in 15 days."
Actually a cluster fuck beginning with the bean counters is the real reason behind the gulf disaster.
Trying to save a few pennies by not servicing the BOPs when they knew they were not working properly.
Make some more hole with a shit cement job with the last casing run using not enough centralisers
Fucking bean counters made that disaster. It was not some random accident
Also has a lot to do with the degree of difficulty of a clean up operation in very inaccessible areas with hostile ocean conditions.
Petitions signed and a giant middle finger to these scumbags.
It's also worth jumping onto their Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/equinor/?hl=en) and giving them some stick. They are are getting absolutely flogged on there right now from a variety of pros, activists, surfers and Aussies. Apparently they are quite sensitive about their squeaky clean public image. Get on there and give em hell!
Yep Tim Fisher, I had a quick flick through, a lot stuffed in the middle and back end. I'll have a better look over weekend but Table 7.1, page 324 stood out. Its literally frightening. In event of oil spill their modelling suggests a spill WITH mitigation efforts has 13 of 39 regions with greater than 50% probability of oil reaching land,. Of particular note Kangaroo Island 92% chance WTF!! Talia 100% chance WTF!! Yorke Peninsula 86% chance WTF!! Eyre Hills 92% chance WTF!! Having a single region with greater than 50% WITH mitigation should be considered too high of a risk. 87% endemic rate in marine environment between Leeuwin and East Australian currents.. World Heritage Zone for sure.
Appreciate your efforts in finding that and pointing it out. Thats absolutely crazy. Has to be stopped.
How did this even get approved.
BP were not able to manage a spill and they got the deepest pockets.
Good pro forma comments on the https://fightforthebight.wilderness.org.au/ website to help marshal your arguments. Or just think about your last/next cactus trip.
Given the current political environment in Oz, I don't expect much leadership,
So maybe its time to sign a petition or two.
My Bro is a petroleum engineer for an well known American company of environmental vandals. He said if the rig breaks and there is a spill they need to ship in a new rig to plug the spill. In the gulf of Mexico there are heaps of em and they still took forever to plug. He said they would need to drag one down from indo in all likelihood that would take weeks to months. He said having a specific set aside rig in Lincoln or Ceduna would blow the costs out and make it uneconomic, its already marginal now. There is no plan for a spill essentially. This is my home, Im fucking scared and angry!
Great intel. Thanks mate.
Hi Ben, can you do anything to get that super knob troll INZIDER or whatever the retard calls himself off your feed.He obviously is full of shit and no one wants to hear what he has to say.
Thanks mate
Go blow ya self ya imbecilic bell end
You should not try to censor someone’s because you disagree with it.
If the RIG breaks
Petroleum engineer using terminology like that ?
Was he talking to preschooler?
Well inzider i dunno about you but when im having a casual chat over a xmas beer i generally don't use terminology like "catastrophic damage to the marine riser resulting in terminal damage to the blowout preventer (BOP) resulting in an uncontrollable mass ignition, colloquially known in the industry as a firestorm".
your criticism is duly noted however and a discussion paper is being prepared for circulation amongst friends and family to bring up the issue of lifting the linguistic tone of getting pissed in the pool on boxing day.
Nice rebuttal I enjoyed that.
Done.
Does the full image show NZ being affected? If so, can't imagine they'd be stoked about such risks being at the discretion of another nation. In particular with the current mob in power...
Got plenty holes offshore on our side of Tasman sea. Some been producing oil ans gas for nearly 50 years.
Some of the biggest oil extractors from our side ocean are Australian owned.
Since when did Australia give a fuck about nz?
Done.....Which part of shiting in your own nest dont people understand.......wont be happy till theres nothing left to rape pillage and plunder.
Tidak Bagus
I dont have any access to data apart from Norway but the water depth of this proposed well is deeper than any oil/gas well in Norway. (there are a couple wells with a deeper water depth but they were for core samples etc. so a very different set of circumstances. ).
This proposed well is something like 700m deeper than the Macondo well in Gulf of Mexico. Its the depth of the well that caused problems there. Add in the extra factor of ocean swell and its a bit concerning.
I saw an ad on tv the other night with a smokey bay oyster grower endorsing oil drilling in the bight!
I was shocked and disgusted.
Love all the fear and misunderstanding of basic concepts
Yeah I play the devils advocate
Big oil been talking about drilling the bight for nearly 20 years
The logistics and cost of a hole out there are phenomenal
With oil prices pretty lame and plenty of supply from elsewhere I wouldn't be surprised if they keep talking about it for another 20 years
https://m.
Classic! On ya NB.
Thanks for the link Nick! I only watched about 7 seconds of it but spied Billabong's 'Desert Hilton' on the side menu.
Quickly flicked on to that and watched about 10 minutes of Jack Robbo and co. surfing picture perfect Tombstones. Love that joint.....
Cheers!
Seriously though. This is that fucking type of thing where, an I hate too a pessimist, where the decision was made ages ago and all petitions or online petitions which are then printed out onto paper, are used for the companies toilet paper.
But what if it's not an oil well?
Is it ok then?
The majority of ocean users regardless of age, occupation, or location who have spent time enjoying South Australia's interesting coastline. Would be well aware of its uniqueness, ruggedness and pristine coastline. Some even say where the outback meets the sea. With Adelaide experiencing growth in areas which where once overlooked due to the states economic viability and population growth . Areas which where less economically successful. Places such as Port Adelaide, Seaton, Port Norlunga, Norlunga, Seaford, Maslins, Port Willunga, Christies, Aldinga and further south are all starting to benefit financially from a life style that living by the sea provides. People want to live there because its nice.
Most people have fond memories of their childhood at the beach even if it is not chasing waves. South Australia is proud of being a leader in some regards when it comes to nature, science and sustainable approach . This makes SA special and what people often talk about when discussing the city of churches.
It would be a great shame to stick oil rigs in the bight and ignore South Australias citizens and environments best interests. If a major spill was to happen none of the habitats would recover fully and full damage is unknown. The once pristine waters would be tainted and polluted forever.
If you don't like cleaning your BBQ or have tipped motor oil over on your driveway imagine trying to clean up a spill that would be virtually impossible in parts of the state. There is no way all animals or areas could be cleaned. People with money could pack up and move but the majority would have to wear it. Petroleum is a casnigenetic that has had detrimental effects when the skin is exposed to it. The State is still paying for ash Wednesday thus a spill would be economically irresponsible. The romance of all benefiting or the old argument of it will be great for the state is flawed. 90% of the local fishing industry did not support this. But still approval was given. Showing disregard for a proud industry which is envied world over. Would you like to buy SA whiting, snapper, tuna with a touch of Equinors finest oil. The once great fishing industry of the state would collapse.
The environmental risks and possible damage to SA and other states is just not worth it. Imagine taking you children,friends or overseas visitors to a once pristine spot you used to enjoy for free and observing a coastline which although not always perfect was now tainted in reputation and struggling to deal with the effects of an oil spill. Would it be something to be proud of? Something South Australians would welcome. I think not.
Lets keep the bight Pure. Protect SA and other states. Stand up for what we should. You don't have to be a green to understand this, just someone who has enjoyed day at the coast over the years. Say no to rigs in the bight.
Everything you said times 100.
I live and work here and even the thought of it is devastating.
We are all complicit when it comes to these issues and im sure most here who signed the petition, drive....so I find it hard to reconcile.
Not just focusing on this one ( really horrible idea) but fundamentally looking at how we live our lives and in turn influence those around us could maybe be a positive here....optimism masks my pain.
Well said timcosh. I suppose SA government provided the approval... We should also lobby the relevant politican
What infuriates me is the dumbed down corporate oil wash found on this mobs website, in comparison to what their own modelling suggests and what scenarios they are planning for. Best case scenario if the well fails - 15 days of unmitigated oil pumping into the Bight (Appendix 7-4) - "shore loading " restricted to SA coast only.
Worst case scenario.... 102 days before well is killed !!
All the project management frameworks, flowcharts, implementation schedules protocol reviews and assessments are not going to kill that well in 15 days if it fails.
If the well head fails and cant be fixed for 24 hours they expect low concentrations of oil to hit parts of the SA coast. Unfortunately for SA , low concentrations of "shore loading" can be expected on the shores of your coastal National Parks - Innes, Coffin Bay, Pt Lincoln, Flinder's Chase.
Any spill requires dispersant's - how many litres of that shit are they going to pump into and on top of the ocean and whats it effects ? Although i am glad to see they have decided against burning it on the ocean surface should there be a spill.
We have seen in recent history from incidents in the Timor Sea and Gulf of Mexico that any emergency plans have been vastly inadequate for a catastrophic well failure, not sure why our government thinks anything will be different this time round.
Another high risk strategy from our elected circus and if it does go wrong, they will pay a political price - which is nothing compared to what it will cost the environment and people who live, work and recreate within that environment.
Get up people and make some noise.
Thank you Swellnet!!!
Just commented and signed on the public form petision on the 'National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority' website.(namesake: misrepresentation att it's best!)
Thanks for the article and link Stu -
https://www.nopsema.gov.au/environmental-management/open-for-comment-str...
My reply was number 3889. Seems far too few to me considering the potential consequenses, has there been less than 4000 that have filled in the form?.
Good to see in SM though that other orginisations/individuals have taken it up. Let's hope mainstream media gets on board or Getup or others with clout.
It's hard not to swear when you think of how fucking stupid us humans are sometimes!
I'm holding back.......I really am.
a bit over 4000 now. Those forms do require a bit of thought and preparation to be taken seriously. It ain't insta.
I think the Wilderness Society petition has maybe 70,000+
On the contrary, I find it easy to swear on this issue. Just completed that petition now.
Pack of greedy, self absorbed environmental rapists. Fuck right off ya worthless cunts.
Equiwhore - go back to where you came from. Inzider - leave with them! You surname isn’t Trump by any chance?
Never more relevant than when spoken 200 years ago.....
Only when the last tree has died
The last river has been poisoned
And the last fish has been caught
Will we realize that we cannot eat money
Eastcoast git
Do you walk the talk?
Petition signed !
Sorry but I probably missed the bit about WHO allowed this to go ahead to this stage?
Stu , anyone know.
This is next level shite .
Done. Well done Swellnet for putting this front and centre.
Done both. Also comment on their facebook and instagram accounts. https://www.facebook.com/Equinor/ @equinor on insta
Pristine sacred waters. Done.
I’m not sure why you’d be trying to play devils advocate on this issue , Inzider ?
Australia has much , much , much more to lose from this than it stands to gain.
PS I got a bit inspired this morning and thought I’d let some Norwegian surfers know what their state owned company had planned for our pristine coastline with the idea being that fellow surfers would be aghast and light the fire of opposition in their homeland . I found a web site for a Norwegian surf camp and sent them a little email.
Without paying much attention to what I wrote in the “Subject “ heading I was surprised to receive an auto reply saying thank you for your email “ Fuck off Norway “ .
Still trying to determine if I’ve helped the cause or not. You’d assume it would have got their attention though ?
Sorry blowin' I just can't help it I like to stir people up sometimes . there is people out there with different perspectives believe it or not. we all use petroleum products . I have never in this thread said it's a good thing either. I just think people are hypocritical if they're not prepared to get it out of their own backyard but are prepared to get it from someone else's. Offshore oil and gas exploration is risky no matter where you are in the globe and I understand fully the concern of drilling in the bite. But as I have said previously they have been talking about it for the last twenty years and it would not surprise me if they keep talking about it 420 more
There’s a Norwegian surfing website that needs to join in on our fight. Here’s a contact.
Mat@nordicsurfersmag.se
@nordicsurfersmag on insta
Pretty sure the Norwegian tourism board is keen to know our feelings on their countries latest foreign relations exercise . This is their email.
mailto:%20norway@ntr.no
Contact for Norway’s biggest media outlet
mailto:pressevakt@nrk.no
Just read about this. Imagine if the oil got caught up in this blob. Yucko.
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2012/s3436692.htm
Just got a reply from that Norwegian surf camp
Re : Fuck you Norway
Thank you for your e-mail!
Yes this sucks big time and I can assure you that Lapoint does not stand behind this at all and really hope that we can help to stop this from happening. Alot of us has already signed the petition against this.
Hope then we can all change their mind so they will not go thorough with this!
Have a great weekend :)
Stay happy :)
Evelina Karlsson
Customer Service Agent
Lapoint AS
https://www.lapointcamps.com/
Legends ! Might make the journey there one day on the strength of this reply alone. Not to mention the place looks incredible.
Ah for those of you still interested in this and focussing your attention on Equinor as the main target, you're (respectfully) missing the bigger picture.
Periodically both state and federal Australian governments and their associated departments for minerals and industry issue permits for oil exploration of onshore and offshore acreage, and in many instances global petroleum corporations obtain the rights to conduct the exploration. As part of the approvals process to obtain acreage and then proceed with exploration the holders of the permits are required to seek environmental approval for the exploration work, and as part of this approval oil-spill modelling is conducted.
My point is to direct your outrage to the relevant Australian governments and departments (including NOPSEMA) as they are the main folk responsible for creating the permitting system which then enables business to tender for the permits. If you don't like what these governments are doing, then vote them out. The Greens Party would seem a logical alternative to vote for in this instance. Targeting Equinor is like yelling at the rain—it might make you feel better, but that won't stop the rain from falling.
And also reconsider everything that you do in your life that uses products or energy sourced from petroleum. Because at the end of the day, you're practising hypocrisy of the highest order if you do not.
And yes, support Patagonia products. Buy their wetsuits if you need a new wetsuit. Patagonia is in business to save the world from the climate crisis. Listen to Patagonia's founder here: https://one.npr.org/?sharedMediaId=504852483:505017995
Comment 5653, they are coming in
Inzider, you have knowledge within the industry, I have some questions:
What is the record within the industry going after oil/gas this deep? How often do smaller mishaps occur? Would the structure be a floating one in 2.5km depth? Kept in place by props and GPS? I've heard stories of large deposits in truly deep water off the Falklands, and also South Africa has made recent discoveries of large reserves offshore.
You point out that there is drilling off the southern NZ coast - that can be some pretty full on water too. Has it been successful without incidents? What kind of depth is "pushing the limit" for drilling in open water these days? Norway has built their national wealth on being good North Sea drillers (100ft waves possible, remember) - do these guys have a good rep in the industry?
How would plugging a well head here look compared to BP's spill in the gulf? If it's gas as you infer, then would a spill contain large traces of oil?
My own take is that a major spill would be a catastrophe, so I'll likely sign the petitions. It will also impact on my employment if the Bight and the Strait have a spill, so it's in my economic interest to try to protect that. I understand I already surf in the shadow of Bass Strait gas, and I understand the hypocrisy if I use petroleum products (hey, I've made wood boards and so should you all!), and I understand the NIMBY aspect that NZ locals might see here. Also, we face a dilemma of the easily obtainable oil with high EROEI being increasingly scarce, thus pushing exploration further afield - while renewable alternatives have yet to scale to replace oil and gas for the global society's power provision. They may do so in the intermediate future. Price signals development of a field or not, and oil pricing is a geopolitical football - add that into the mix.
Having seen quite a lot of that coastline and ocean, it really is something special, just so vast and wild (and exhilirating and sometimes scary being in it).
2.5 k ish I think is the deepest. Don't quote me though.
Defining mishaps is contentious.
In NZ 99% of oilnnd gas production/drilling happen off the West coast of the north island. The deep South stuff happened in the seventies
Big oil snfing around but none want to commit to massive expenditure.
They loose permit unless drill hole in 7 years. Some just drill a post hole to keep permit.
Bass straight is in decline. There oil production is dropping off a cliff
They are focusing on extracting gas from deeper smaller reserves
BP spent 700 million building a drill ship for the bight campaign. State of t he art gps positioned mamoth.
Then oil prices tanked and with it there interestin in the b ight.
If oil stayed at 120 a barrell BP would have uses their ship by now
They could do it but why would they when there are easier places to drill and invest hundreds of of millions of dollars in easier places
Lets start a wager
A slab says they dont drill anytime real soon
If they do it might just be a post hole to keep the permit?
Thank you for all of that. They did mention a single drill hole in their prospectus too.
Spent the last hour geeking out on the scale of FPSOs and how they work. Some serious engineering. It would look like the more the oil price rises, the more pressure there will be on the area - but oil rising further is no guarantee; conversely a fall would keep it nice and quiet in the Bight.
Got two fpsos offshore servicing a couple off wells offshore nz.
Apparentlly 21 more being built by 2121
Thanks for reporting this Swellnet. Some great comments here.
The potential risk to a big chunk of Australia’s tourism industry including our worldwide beach appeal seems more valuable to me than some licence that a foreign company will pay.
I understand from the comments that there are existing rigs elsewhere off the coast of Australia and New Zealand which I also didnt really know about but moving forward surely we don’t need another one, particularly in such a pristine location with such a huge risk map.
At some point we will be driving electric cars but when you hear about something like this that seems so far away.
Re: electric cars, have you researched the distribution of, reserves of, mining and waste involved in Lithium production?
No ;
But i imagine its not pretty either. Walking barefoot about the only sustainable option
probably still a lesser demon than petrol and diesel combustion. What about the costs of crude oil extraction and refining and if that were invested into energy strorage technology? Which would be better? Exhaust fumes from petrol vehicles will kill you and guaranteed to do it effectively.
With a federal election in the offing and a change of government predicted, don't forget to contact the relevant members of the Labor Party to make sure they comprehend just how much opposition there is to this activity in the community. They are:
Mark Butler (Environment, Climate Change & Water), Anthony Albanese (Infrastructure & Transport + Tourism), Joel Fitzgibbon (Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry) and, of course, Bill Shorten, who claims to run the show.
I'll also be contacting my local member, Rebekha Sharkie, whose electorate includes some of the coastlines most threatened by this project. I'm sure she's on board, but there's always more she can do, and as an independent she'll be able to stir things up without being compromised by having to tow the party line.
Us surfers love our natural environment which is so precious. All these comments have been really great, including the so called "devils advocate" INZider. I personally thank inzider for fuelling debate on this issue. It pushes us guys into pressing for facts and having a balanced view of the issues and keeping the debate facts based rather than insults based). If we sound too one sided, it makes us lose credibility in front of people who don't share our passions for the environment or who otherwise might be more influenced by economic "promises".
The comment about addressing government departments, and direct contact with politicians and lobbies like Getup etc, are excellent ideas. However, I have another idea which I consider worth looking into, and I hope someone does. In 1983, the Tasmanian government was trying to have a dam built on the Franklin river, one of the most pristine environments in the world. Conservationists lobbied the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth government had previously signed a treaty that allowed the dam site to be given world heritage status. The conservatives and Labor had different views on the topic, but Labor enacted legislation preventing the area from being interfered with and effectively stopped the dam. The State of Tasmania challenged the Commonwealth law in the High Court; Yes, lawyers - very fucking expensive as a rule! But the matter was argued, and the High Court upheld the Commonwealth law which protected the river and forest. Bob Brown is a meteoric figure in this activism and is extraordinarily knowledgeable on this type of activism. I provide a link to an environmental law site which gives a very short synopsis of the case; http://envlaw.com.au/tasmanian-dam-case/ . There are stories with good endings!
Although I am a lawyer and lifetime surfer, I don't really know the status of the areas which are in play with regard to this project, and whether there may be existing areas which could potentially be a problem for Equinor (which could form a basis for arguing for an injunction or other similar strategy to prevent them proceeding), or whether there may be some activism that could be undertaken to cause the Commonwealth to come on side. I am not even sure whether there may be further steps required by Equinor that need approval before they can proceed. In any situation like this, where so much is potentially at stake for us people who care for the environment, it is worth having several strings to ones bow; a multi disciplined and layered and targeted strategy. Equinor are just doing what they do - pursuing profit. It's now OUR MOVE, on our turf. The more information we have the better - including specialised knowledge of drilling etc. I just spent a month in SA surfing with my son, I have been vising its beautiful shores since I was a teen. I love the place, it is a pristine stunning coast and its people are amazing and really down to earth; it is a real jewel in the rough. Lets let Equinos know we don't want them sucking the life out of our earth or putting our beautiful ocean and all of its diverse life at risk. I rather prefer the Aboriginal point of view, that we belong to the sacred earth, not the earth belongs to us to do what ever we like with! This attitude is likely to result in a much happier balance.
I think the fact that people have thus far focused some attention on the type and depth of drilling and of the attendant risks if there is a spill, both best case and worst case - without knowing much about these risks, I am a water man, and I consider worst case "on the cards" if there is a big sea, something that happens frequently out there. Go hard on this everyone, it is so important that we preserve this extraordinary area of coast line with its amazing diversity of sea life - not to mention the risks to the coastlines of neighbouring States!!
Well said
So many people are passionate about this, Just look at the response above ! Amazing! Need to highlight some images of affected wildlife from previous spills, shocking and sad as they are, they really send the message home just how important it is to leave these wildlife sanctuaries alone. If these places are left alone, nothing can go wrong and if nothing goes wrong no one has to answer for anything!
But if the drilling for oil goes ahead, just by the very nature of industrial operation vast contaminants occur and then the oil is breached and out she comes all over the place! Nice ! Not!
Need to headline this subject Stu - Red alert in flashing neon lights if you can see a way! This must not go ahead!
Much more to come. This was just stage 1, informing people of the announcement.
Done! Share the word!
It's the Australian Govt that give the approval, and they're a pretty lazy self interested bunch. So they'd be happy for one of the worlds wealthiest govt's Norway (wealthy from oil by the way), to find oil in the bight and pay them taxes for for doing nothing for years into the future.
There is an election looming so there is no better time to leverage the current or future govt a clear message not to give approval to Norway/Equinor to drill in the Bight.
Love them or hate them, left wing Get up, Greens can make noise about this to get the issue noticed and make it an election issue, flush out the major parties policies on the issue. Plus local members in key or marginal seats could be of help.
If you oppose the idea of drilling in the bight, write letters, sign petitions, and act now, as you can see one company already has approval for seismic testing in the Bight later this year https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-15/great-australian-bight-seismic-te...
I signed my petition months ago. I've been coming to the Eyre Peninsula for my entire life (45years) so I count myself as a semi local, we have a family shack at Venus Bay which if you've ever been to you know it's gods country. This stretch of coastline is some of the most stunning on the planet with world class surf / fishing on offer, but it can be an extremely volatile place also with MASSIVE seas and cyclonic winds. There is NO place for oil drilling in the bight so I urge everyone to please get on board and stop these pricks from destroying our piece of paradise. #bigoildontsurf
Matt Canavan is the Minister responsible for NOPSEMA. I sent him an email for what its worth.
Great thanks Ralph, lets hope they grow some balls and stop this!
Happy to sign just "in case" but I don't believe this was approved. Australia makes a long term, sustainable industry out of it's tourism industry, which this would clearly threaten. Me thinks they want us all to take our eyes of what they're really planning . Looks like it's working too, aye boys and girl ;)
Profitable industry, too, might I add :)
Environmental laws, God bless them. They rule this country.
What's that then?
Just submitted to NOPSEMA - number 8308.
Matt Canavan is the new Tony Abbott ! Like we need a new Tony - although i don't think Matt terrorises his local beach with board and budgies. Canavan says this project is Australia's chance to get long term energy security. It could take a bit to put a bend in him.
The coalition will be out of office by the end of May anyway. Need to persuade Labor to cancel it.
This is actually the Australian Government's fault and they are directly to blame (appologies if this has already been pointed out, didn't read all comments).
Australia's domestic carbon emissions are about 20th on the world scale but including our exports of commodities Australia is 6th. China is 5th for perspective.
Australia has a population of 24 Million. That is a small State in the US or 2.4% of China's population.
Point being - the government does not give a fuck if we export the commodities that create a carbon footprint elsewhere in the world.
The only political party that even raises the fact is the Greens. In most cases they are not the best government but what do the liberals or labour stand for?
It is actually pathetic that in a well educated country this is our only options to vote for and further more this is how the government behaves.
The problem is unless an area is declared protected by an act of parliament then its free game to any oil business. NOPSEMA will be a puppet and if the oil business submits a safety plan that is up to spec then it will get approved. Protests will mean nothing to NOPSEMA and we are better aimed at objectional protest writing to the minister / political party who will sign the approval. Collectively, we would be more effective against oil drilling by finding a way to bankrupt the oil business model, getting more shareholders to pull out and invest in cleaner and safer technology companies and to get parliament to declare the whole coast as a protected marine sanctuary.
9000+ submissions and growing hopefully all against the drilling and seismic tests.
RippinSurfa is right we need to also make sure we let the pollies know this cannot occur
Heres the current write up in Norwegian media on the issue:
https://www.nrk.no/norge/protestene-fortsetter-tross-miljoplan_-_-equino...
We have had the same issues with equinor wanting to explore gas and oil outside the Lofoten Islands but that is not happening now and hopefully never due to local political pressure. You should aim your anger at your own politicans, they're the ones letting it happen.
Agreed erikb, the petition is a good start but its up to local crew ie Aussies to take responsibility and get their hands dirty.
Lobbying local politicians, stakeholders, business etc is a given, is there an official anti drilling group, online/social media presence? Any direct action in progress/planned? Obstruction and economic disruption plan drawn up?
There's absolutely no way this should happen which is a massive advantage to protestors but that message needs to be rammed home, it will take years so crew need to be in for the long haul.
There's a bunch of anti frackers in North Yorkshire trying to thwart Third Energy. Students, pensioners and plenty who have given up their jobs for the cause. They've been camped out in a field on site for a couple of years through one of the coldest winters on record and so far they have the upper hand. It's national news, there's a heavy police presence, 80 arrests, a couple locked up. The Chairman and Director of Third Energy have quit in the last few months as the delays take their toll. Despite the government granting permission in 2012 the company haven't managed to extract gas yet and possibly never will. With Halliburton suspected of being the drilling contractor (fined $1.1billion for their part in the Deep Water Horizon disaster), it's clear the government doesn't give a fuck.
Strongly worded emails will only get you so far, its direct action that will force change. Who's in?
A company In British Columbia has a working plant that sucks co2 out of the atmosphere And somehow uses a chemical reaction to produce a hydrogen fuel compatible for diesel petroleum, normal petrol and Jet A fuels. This is the path we should go down. https://www.facebook.com/michaeljsaxton/videos/10155480473881300/
Every one will hopefully just start surfing there local, or riding a bike to the beach........ahhh a little of almost everyone is to blame for this............maybe we should all stop driving so much.
Have contemplated the same scenario LD, how much fun and adventure did we have as kids riding our push bikes to the beach with one hand on the handlebar while harnessing the surfboard under the other arm, inadvertently keeping our bodies toned and fit! Your post is worthy of discussion, Mostly we use the cars far too often, how often did I drive around from beach to beach checking if one spot was better than the other and coming back to the same spot that I first started at? Often! Should have taken the push bike and spare nature of all that spent dirty fuel!
Not wanting to avert any focus on this subject but if I can mention another catastrophe about to unfold, unless we can stop it. Regarding Adanis $22 billion Carmichael mine, proposed to be built in the Galilee Basin, west of Rockhampton creating irreparable damage to swathes of The Great Barrier Reef and the threat to the immediate forested areas which currently provide a perfect filtration system for the reef. The reef relies on a healthy land/ocean system for survival and nutrients. That ecology is now still intact, if the Adani mine goes ahead it won't be.
The mine is designed to supply the Indian population with enough coal to generate electricity for up to 100 million people over a 25 to 60 year duration. Mr Adani and his company are responsible for ruining the livelihoods of millions in India from flogging the natural land cover, seaside coves, beaches and waterways including now unusable ground water over there and now our Govt is giving him licence to flog ours as well!
Our current joyous Government has issued a cost free unlimited water extraction licence to be used for the mine to be taken from the precious and pristine Great Artesian Basin, if this Adani coal mine is built, it will suck out at least 270 billion litres of groundwater over the life of the mine and have newly formed water reservoirs of putrid, toxic waste water on what is now mostly arid highly ecological land rich with wildlife and fauna.
In the Coral Sea, the impacts of silt drift when they dredge the channels for the 1000’s of Ocean liners to get to the coal ports will be shocking for all sea going animals, incl sea grasses, coral etc clogging their systems, creating disease and aiding the inevitable painful death of these innocent creatures. The whales nursery areas will no longer be safe to house them due to contaminated waters devoid of food. The constant sound from the vessels diesel driven motors must be horrendous for them also.
Why our Governments allow this destruction is beyond belief when renewables technology is well advanced.
That said , calling on all interested peoples and their pets to come and join the peaceful protest on road (by car, bus or van…yes, just this once!) Convoy travelling with Bob Brown and friends who care and want to help save the reef from inevitable destruction, Here’s a link I found, https://www.smh.com.au/environment/climate-change/bigger-than-franklin-b... join in! I am, It'll be fun, worthy meeting with like minded people, and a momentous historical occasion surpassing the great activism event in the early 80’s which saved the wild rivers from the Franklin Dam proceeding.
NOPSEMA petition is ~10,000..yew!! Thanks for posting Stu. To any of the haters I would pose this question - if there is ANY risk of destroying the planet based on our current petroleum addiction isn't it worth focusing on other energy sources?
Good day
Paddle out for the Bight (this Sunday)
Public · Hosted by The Wilderness Society South Australia https://www.facebook.com/events/388760451883923/
if you care be there.
Done - submission #10852. Hope it's enough to stop NOPSEMA granting the licence.
Also go onto Equinor's Facebook page (https://wilderness.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7a661d06c8b7fc3788...) and tell them to go home and forget drilling in the Bight. They say they are receptive to the public so try them.