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Elevated spill risks associated with ultra-deep sea drilling
New analysis shows elevated spill risks associated
with ultra-deep sea drilling
New analysis
revealed by the Green Party today shows that the risk of a
spill from deep sea drilling increases as the depth of the
water increases, and that in ultra-deep water, the risk is
as high as 1 in 19 wells.
“When we look to the
Gulf of Mexico, we see that for shallow water oil drilling 1
in 272 wells has a spill, while that number increases to 1
in 35 wells for deep sea drilling and to 1 in 19 wells for
ultra-deep sea drilling,” said Green Party energy
spokesperson Gareth Hughes.
Mr Hughes was referring
to information from the United States Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement about spills of 50 barrels (5962
litres) or greater from wells drilled in the Gulf of Mexico
between 1964 and 2012. The industry defines deep sea
drilling as drilling in waters 300m - 1499m, and ultra-deep
sea drilling as drilling in waters of 1500m or deeper;
Anadarko is about to drill a well off the coast of Raglan in
1520m of water.
“The well that Anadarko is about
to drill off the coast of Raglan is no ordinary well, it is
in the deepest waters ever drilled in New Zealand, and will
be considered an ultra-deep sea well by the oil industry,”
said Mr Hughes.
“Ultra-deep sea drilling, which
is what the National Government is allowing Anadarko to do
off the coast of Raglan, is much riskier than the shallow
water oil drilling we have seen in Taranaki to
date.
“In the Gulf of Mexico, one out of every 19
ultra-deep sea wells has had a spill.
“John Key
was wrong when he said that that of the 50,000 wells in the
Gulf of Mexico there has only been one problem.
“John Key isn’t telling New Zealanders about
the elevated risk of ultra-deep water
drilling.
“New Zealand waters are a lot rougher
than the Gulf of Mexico, and help is very far away if
anything goes wrong, so the Government should not be
allowing risky deep sea drilling to happen off our
coast.
“Last year the National Government awarded
Anadarko permits which require the drilling of two wells
within 5 years in waters that are up to 2750m deep in the
Pegasus Basin.
“A spill from an ultra-deep sea
well in the Pegasus Basin could devastate the east coast of
New Zealand, decimating the eco-tourism in Kaikoura and
potentially causing oil to wash up on beaches in Wellington
and Christchurch.
“New Zealanders know that deep
sea drilling is not worth the risk. While there are some
short-term economic benefits, they don’t justify risking a
catastrophic spill that could cost us billions,” said Mr
Hughes.
ENDS
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