CHANGES TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF PRODUCED FORMATION WATER, OFFSHORE AUSTRA

Abstract

Under Australian offshore petroleum legislation, produced formation water (PFW) shall not be discharged into the sea unless there is an approved method. Where approval is granted, the concentration of petroleum in any PFW discharged to the sea shall not be greater than 50 mg/l at any one time and the average content over each 24 hour period shall be less than 30 mg/l unless otherwise approved.

The introduction of the Commonwealth Petroleum (Submerged Lands) (Management of Environment) Regulations 1999 has changed the way PFW is regulated. The operation of a facility is defined under regulation 4 as a petroleum activity. Regulation 13(3) requires operators to assess the environmental effects and risks of a petroleum activity. The assessment of a facility operation should include the effects and risks associated with PFW discharge.

This paper considers how these new requirements affect petroleum operators and what this means for existing and future production facility PFW management. Information is provided regarding assessment tools that are available to measure environmental effect and risk and attempts to describe their ecological relevance and role in decision-making.