Petroleum
- Mad Dog oil and gas field, Gulf of Mexico, US
BHP Billiton Petroleum is a significant oil and gas exploration and production business.
Our principal activities are oil and natural gas production, exploration and development in Australia, the US, the UK, Algeria, Trinidad and Tobago and Pakistan. We also have significant exploration interests in the Gulf of Mexico, Maritime Canada, South Africa, Namibia, Brunei, Darussalam, Australia, the UK, Colombia, and Algeria. We are currently developing the Atlantis, Mad Dog, Neptune and Shenzi fields in the Gulf of Mexico, the Stybarrow and Angel fields and the North West Shelf fifth liquified natural gas train in Australia, and we are conducting a Phase 2 expansion of the Zamzama Gas processing facility in Pakistan.
2006 Sustainability Performance Overview
Key aspects of the Sustainability performance of Petroleum for the reporting period 2005/06 were:
- No fatalities occurred during the year.
- There was one significant environmental incident involving a small oil spill of approximately 0.8 cubic metres at our Liverpool Bay Asset.
- Our Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate increased by 64 per cent, from 2.8 to 4.6. This upward trend is of concern and will be a key focus area for improvement next year.
- Actual Loss of Containment Incidents remained the same as FY2005, at eight incidents.
- All controlled sites maintained their ISO 14001 certification.
- We made progress in developing a Competency-Based Training and Assessment Program and developing and implementing a behaviour-based safety system for managers in support of existing site-based systems.
- We rolled out the Company-wide Fit for Work/Fit for Life health initiative and updated our Petroleum CSG Health Protocols.
- We conducted audits of our Environment and Marine Operations protocols and found a generally good level of compliance by teams. Opportunities for improvement were identified and the teams are in the process of implementing improvement plans.
- Our Australia Operated Asset received the 2005 Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) Environmental Award for their whale observation program.
- Our Pilbara LNG Project received a Western Australian Golden Gecko Merit Award for their site selection process. This process was also a finalist in the Leadership in Protecting Coastal and Marine Environments category of the Australian Banksia Awards.
- Through a partnership with the Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Agriculture, we have successfully trained farmers in cassava cultivation and livestock breeding. Looking to the future of the islands, we are working closely with the Ortoire community on education, having established a homework centre to promote after-school study.
- Our Pakistan Asset community development team continued with their program to improve the livelihoods of local women by providing them with opportunities for income generation and training in production and marketing. Their project received the Community Excellence Award in the 2004/05 BHP Billiton HSEC Awards.
- In Pakistan, three new projects were initiated by the asset. Through a partnership with The Citizens Foundation we will support construction and running of a community school close to the Zamazama operation, building on our existing education program; we will support a pilot project to improve sanitation facilities in the town of Johi; and in Islamabad, we are working with the traffic police to educate residents on road safety through the sponsorship of 20,000 educational booklets
- The Algeria Asset donated US$200,000 to the Tassili Foundation. The Foundation works with a range of international and local partners to deliver sustainable programs focused on the environmental conservation and cultural preservation of the World Heritage-listed Tassili region in the southern Algerian Sahara Desert.
- The Houston office received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the American Red Cross (Greater Houston) for its response to Hurricane Katrina.
- The America-based assets also received the Ray of Light Award from the statewide Community Health Charities of Texas for its increased participation in the Houston offices' annual employee giving campaign.
- Read more: Petroleum 2006 Environmental Data Summary.
2007 Sustainability Outlook
Looking ahead for the Petroleum CSG, a focus on the BHP Billiton Key Sustainability Challenges will include the following:
Eliminating Fatal Risks
Driving continuous improvement in our performance through the full implementation of existing HSE programs:
- Integrating safety case methodologies into our project design process and operations in locations where there is no legal requirement for this approach
- Full implementation of the new Competency-Based Training and Assessment program
- Full implementation of our common behaviour-based safety improvement program
- Focus on improvement in Operating Discipline and close out of actions and findings from incidents.
Sustainable Community Development and Closure of Operations
- Increasing the focus on measuring the effectiveness of our Community Development programs and social performance
- The Algeria Asset, partnering with the Algerian Government and local NGO AREA-ED, will commence a two-year conservation and rehabilitation project in Tiout in the Algerian Sahara. The project aims to revive the current aquifer water source and repair the ancient irrigation network that feed 120 hectares of a palm grove oasis upon which 5,000 people are dependent, as well as create opportunities for alternative income generation.
Access to and Management of Resources
- Raising awareness on relevant HSEC issues; for example, contractor HSE management and oil spill management
- Participating in a global joint industry initiative for research on the biology, behaviour and habitat of a number of cetaceans, particularly whale species
- Continuing the Australia Operated Asset Team sponsored whale shark and whale migration research and turtle monitoring in the North West Cape region, Western Australia
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
- Further refining our greenhouse gas management blans in accordance with the Company-wide HSEC targets.
Occupational and Community Health
- Continuing our focus on implementation of the BHP Billiton Fit for Work/Fit for Life Program particularly in the areas of Fatigue Management, Fitness for Work Medical Assessments and the full implementation of the Company Drug and Alcohol Policy across the Petroleum CSG.
