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| The four Brent platforms: Photo: Shell |
The Dutch government wants Shell to
clean up the foundations of three oil and gas platforms in the British part of
the North Sea, infrastructure minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen has told MPs.
The
minister’s comments follow the publication of a report on the decommissioning operation which recommends the clean up be carried out as agreed over 20 years
ago in international treaties.
The licence request ‘does not sufficiently
support’ the claim that leaving the foundations and storage units, which
contain polluted material, is the best option from an environmental or safety
point of view, the minister told MPs.
The Netherlands, she said, will join
Germany in making a formal protest about the plan.
The clean-up was agreed in a
special treaty known as Ospar which was adopted in 1992. The Ospar treaty
states that rigs, including their contents and pipelines, must be removed from
the sea after decommissioning.
Shell, however, wants to leave the foundations
of three of the four Brent platforms – Brent Bravo, Brent Charlie and Brent
Delta – in the North Sea. It argues that removing the three concrete
constructions would be risky and expensive.
Risks
‘Constructed nearly half a
century ago, they were not designed to be removed,’ Shell said when submitting
the decommissioning plans in 2017. ‘We
have to consider the safety of those who will work offshore to deliver this
project. The safety risks associated with trying to remove them outweigh
minimal environmental benefit.’
The final decision is up to Britain and it is
keen to make an exception for the three platforms. Germany and the Netherlands,
which only have an advisory role, are opposed, fearing the impact of leaks of
polluted oil in the concrete bases on marine life.
The topside of the Brent
Bravo platform was taken to Britain for scrapping in June this year.
The Brent
field was discovered in 1971 and started production five years later.
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