Environmental Risk Management System

  
Environmental Risk Management System
         

2002-2006

Client(s) & funding

Norwegian oil and gas industry

Objectives

ERMS (Environmental Risk Management System) is a 4-year research program initiated by the oil industry. The overall objective of this program is to develop an environmental risk-based decision supporting tool, in order for the oil industry to establish cost-effective mitigation measures for reducing potential harmful discharges of the offshore oil and gas industry to the marine environment.

Summary

The EIFPW was developed as a management tool to be applied by the oil industry. Its calculation is based on internationally agreed procedures for hazard and risk assessment, as defined by the European Union (EU), which includes the PEC/PNEC ratio approach, also termed risk characterisation ratio (RCR). The PEC/PNEC ratio approach compares the Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) of a pollutant with the predicted environmental tolerance level or the concentration below which the likelihood of adverse effects in the environment is considered to be acceptable (PNEC = Predicted No Effect Concentration).
A three-dimensional, time variable concentration field is modelled for each of the produced water compound groups as input to the PEC/PNEC calculation and EIFPW determination. Both the fate modelling and the risk modelling are carried out by the DREAM computer model.
A major data collection study was performed as part of the development of DREAM to obtain data of sufficient reliability to be selected for determination of PNEC values. The establishment of PNEC values was based on the principles described in the EU Technical Guidance Document (EC, 1996 and 2003).
The EIF approach, implemented in DREAM, has proven to be very useful in decision-making on implementation of produced water treatment techniques and the use of offshore chemicals and represents the state of the art in marine water column risk assessment tools. Consequently an EIF for drilling discharges was developed as well, to evaluate the overall risk of both toxic (chemicals) and non-toxic stressors (e.g., burial, change of sediment structure, oxygen depletion) resulting from drilling discharges.

Related Products:

• REACH and dossier evaluation 
• Risk modelling