Risk taking on a grand scale in the deep seas
The Guardian newspaper reports that despite considerable opposition the UK Government has given permission for Chevron to undertake the go-ahead for the first deepwater drilling off Britain since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) under the leadership of Chris Huhne, claims that the strictest possible regulations are being applied to Chevron which plans to start operations on a new well in the West of Shetlands.
"We can confirm that the secretary of state has given consent to Chevron's Lagavulin Prospect. The government is determined to drive forward our move to a low-carbon economy and develop the UK's renewable energy sources but this cannot happen overnight. The fact is that in the meantime we will be dependent on oil and gas," it said in a statement to the Guaradian.
The Guardian quotes the ‘department said it was a choice between producing hydrocarbons in UK waters where there was one of the most robust safety and regulatory regimes in the world and with all the economic benefits that will bring, or paying to import oil and gas from elsewhere.’
This is a of course a legitimate economic and strategic energy position for the UK, but it does not seem to reflect the duality of Decc’s role, to also balance this with our climate change commitments.
My concerns are specifically with the lack of data and knowledge of the cetaceans in the region and what impact a catastrophic spill would mean for them. This should also seen in the context of the extra noise that should operations in remote areas introduces to the oceans.
As the Guardian also reports, last week, UK efforts at European talks on the marine environment softened efforts – led by Germany – to increase international scrutiny of offshore drilling.
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