Greenland sets high requirements

The Greenland authorities take many measures to prevent accidents, including oil spills. The measures taken in Greenland are unique and far more far-reaching than in many other countries. All oil activities in Greenland must be performed in accordance with the best international practice. Activities will be approved only if it has been documented that the environmental and safety as well as technical and emergency preparedness procedures and equipment are at the very highest level. The demands made on the oil companies in Greenland mean, for example, that:

• Well structures, well operations, operations and safety procedures must meet the Norwegian North Sea rules to be approved in Greenland;

• Drilling operators must have experience in operating in the North Sea to be approved in Greenland;

• Drilling units must have an approved health and safety report from the Norwegian or British authorities before they can be approved for operations in Greenland;

• Greenland, like Norway, has chosen to demand that there must be several independent systems that can activate the shut-down valves in the oil wells. The Greenland authorities demand, for example, remote control systems that can shut down a well in the case of a blow-out, even though the connection between the drilling rig and the well has been lost;

• When wells are drilled in the sea off Greenland, two drilling rigs must be in place. This is required because operations in Greenland take place so far away from the rest of the world. For instance in the case of an uncontrolled oil spill where it would be necessary to drill a relief well, it would take far too long to mobilise a rig and get it off to Greenland. With the two-rig policy, measures can be taken quickly and efficiently in case of an accident, and a relief well can be drilled relatively quickly.

• With assistance from Norwegian specialists, the activities are monitored very frequently throughout the drilling season. Greenland's monitoring model is thus among the most extensive in the world.

• Demands are made for the establishment of a system for handling icebergs in accordance with the best Arctic standards. Cairn's system meets the Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board’s Physical Environmental Guidelines, which also include ice handling. These guidelines are considered to be the best in the world.

• All drilling locations must be free of sea ice and the drilling operations must stop several months before sea ice forms in the region. The reason why the operations must stop several months before the ice starts forming is a measure the Greenland authorities have chosen to take to ensure that there will be enough time before ice starts forming to drill a relief well and clean up after a potential oil spill

This means that the Greenland authorities make high demands on the operations performed in Greenland. The combination of the two-rig policy and the demand for stopping the drilling operations several months before ice starts forming means that Greenland has a considerably better relief well policy than is the international practice.

Oil Spill Prevention and Contingency Plan
Exploration Drilling Programme 2011 - Greenland

South Greenland 57°-62°N

http://www2.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Miljoe-tilstand/3_natur/sensitivity_mapping/58_62/atlas_58_62.pdf
 

West Greenland 62°-68°N

http://www4.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Miljoe-tilstand/3_natur/sensitivity_mapping/62_68/atlas.pdf
 

West Greenland 68°-72°N

http://www2.dmu.dk/1_viden/2_Miljoe-tilstand/3_natur/sensitivity_mapping/68_72/atlas_68_72.pdf
 

Northwest Greenland 72°-75°N

http://www2.dmu.dk/Pub/FR828.pdf