Cliff Head Development Public Environmental Review and Draft Public Environmental Report April 2004 Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited Cliff Head Development Public Environmental Review and Draft Public Environmental Report April 2004 Version 2 Invitation to make a submission The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) invites people to make a submission on this proposal. If you are able to, electronic submissions emailed to the EPA Service Unit project officer would be most welcome. Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited ACN 083 143 383 proposes to produce oil from the recently discovered offshore Cliff Head oil field and process the crude oil onshore, south of Dongara. In accordance with the Western Australian Environmental Protection Act, a Public Environmental Review (PER) has been prepared which describes this proposal and its likely effects on the environment. The PER is available for a public review period of six weeks from Tuesday 13 April closing on Tuesday 25 May 2004. Comments from government agencies and from the public will help the EPA to prepare an assessment report in which it will make recommendations to government. Why write a submission? A submission is a way to provide information, express your opinion and put forward your suggested course of action—including any alternative approach. It is useful if you indicate any suggestions you have to improve the proposal. All submissions received by the EPA will be acknowledged. Submissions will be treated as public documents unless provided and received in confidence subject to the requirements of the Western Australian Freedom of Information Act, and may be quoted in full or in part in the EPA’s report. Why not join a group? If you prefer not to write your own comments, it may be worthwhile joining with a group interested in making a submission on similar issues. Joint submissions may help to reduce the workload for an individual or group, as well as increase the pool of ideas and information. If you form a small group (up to 10 people) please indicate all the names of the participants. If your group is larger, please indicate how many people your submission represents. Developing a submission You may agree or disagree with, or comment on, the general issues discussed in the PER or the specific proposals. It helps if you give reasons for your conclusions, supported by relevant data. You may make an important contribution by suggesting ways to make the proposal more environmentally acceptable. When making comments on specific elements of the PER: • clearly state your point of view; • indicate the source of your information or argument if this is applicable; • suggest recommendations, safeguards or alternatives. Points to keep in mind By keeping the following points in mind, you will make it easier for your submission to be analysed: • Attempt to list points so that issues raised are clear. A summary of your submission is helpful. • Refer each point to the appropriate section, chapter or recommendation in the PER. • If you discuss different sections of the PER, keep them distinct and separate, so there is no confusion as to which section you are considering. • Attach any factual information you may wish to provide and give details of the source. Make sure your information is accurate. Remember to include: • your name; • address; • date; and • whether and the reason why you want your submission to be confidential. Information in submissions will be deemed public information unless a request for confidentiality of the submission is made in writing and accepted by the EPA. As a result, a copy of each submission will be provided to the proponent but the identity of private individuals will remain confidential to the EPA. The closing date for submissions is: 25 May 2004 Submissions should ideally be emailed to: [email protected] OR addressed to: Environmental Protection Authority PO Box K822 OR Westralia Square PERTH 141 St George’s Terrace WA 6842 PERTH WA 6000 Attention: [Nick Woolfrey] Executive Summary Executive Summary Proponent ment of Conservation and Land Man- Development Proposal agement for honey and wax production, Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited (Roc), on be- Roc evaluated a range of configurations nature conservation and passive recrea- half of its joint venture partners in Com- before settling on the layout shown in tion. The Brand Highway links Perth to monwealth Petroleum Permit Area Figure ES6. These facilities comprise: Geraldton. It is also a major transport WA-286-P, proposes to develop the Cliff artery within the Mid West region of West- • An unmanned offshore production Head oil field located approximately 8.5 ern Australia, which comprises the shires wellhead platform supporting six pro- to 12 km offshore in water depths of 10 of Greenough and Irwin and the City of duction wells and two water injection to 20 m, 20 km south of Dongara, West- Geraldton. wells, with capability for two addi- ern Australia (Figure ES1). tional wells (Figure ES7). The wells Planning and Design Factors will be some 1,260 m deep and take This Document about 21 days each to drill and com- The spatial arrangement and design of The Cliff Head oil field lies in Common- plete. The location of the oil field re- project facilities follows current oil indus- wealth waters, but much of the infra- quired the platform to be located west try practice and reflects: structure of the development lies within (offshore) of Horseshoe Reef the territory of the State of Western Aus- • The characteristics of the oil itself. (Figure ES8). Periodic inspections tralia. Development approval will require The Cliff Head crude is a waxy plas- and maintenance will be supported environmental consents from both juris- tic solid at ambient temperatures and by a small personnel transport ves- dictions and this document is intended pressures with a pour point of 30°C sel based in Port Denison. to provide the environmental and social (Figure ES5). It will not flow unless it • An offshore pipeline with a nominal planning and impact assessment that is maintained hot. If it is allowed to internal diameter of 300 mm to carry these approvals require. cool inside the production well or pipe- produced hydrocarbons and water to line high-pressure injection may be shore for processing. Setting required to re-mobilise the product. •A return offshore pipeline with a nomi- The Cliff Head Development comprises • The location and nature of the reser- nal internal diameter of 300 mm to an offshore oil production platform, pipe- voir. The small size of the field and carry produced water back to the plat- lines to shore and an onshore process- its proximity to shore dictates a form for reinjection. ing plant. processing facility onshore as close as practicable. The low reservoir pres- • An electrical umbilical line and small The offshore environment is a mosaic of sure means that the crude will not umbilical lines to supply corrosion and limestone reefs and platforms, sandy flow naturally, and must be lifted by emulsion inhibitors to the production mobile seafloor and beds of algae and pumping. wells and hydraulic fluid (water) by seagrass. The project area is inshore of which to remotely operate the plat- the main whale migration routes, but • Sea conditions. Rough weather in form equipment. within an active rock lobster fishing area. shallow seas close to shore makes for high engineering costs for exposed • Two directionally drilled pipeline shore The coastline is a beach and foredune, structures. crossings under the beach and backed by secondary dunes grading into foredune. flat, sandy heath country inland (Figures • Land conditions. The linear features ES2 and ES3). The main cultural fea- of the beach/foredune and Beekeep- • Parallel production and water return tures are the 80-km linear Beekeeper’s er’s Nature Reserve cannot be pipelines across the secondary dunes Nature Reserve running parallel and just avoided, and need to be crossed with and heathland of Beekeepers’ Na- inshore from the coast, the Brand High- minimal disturbance and with the ture Reserve and under the railway way, the railway line (Figure ES4) and prospect of a feasible rehabilitation to the Arrowsmith Separation Plant. the now disused Westlime plant of after pipeline construction. Cockburn Cement Limited. • The Arrowsmith Separation Plant on • Engineering performance, loss pre- the previous industrial site of the The predominant economic activity in the vention, safety and environmental former Westlime plant (Figure ES9) project area is the rock lobster fishery. standards. some 3 km inland from the coast. The Beekeeper’s Nature Reserve is a C Class plant will separate the produced flu- nature reserve managed by the Depart- • Applicable laws. Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited Cliff Head Development PER v Executive Summary W ESTERN 28 30 00 S Houtman Abrolhos AUSTRALIA Islands Geraldton TP/15 29 00 00 S INDIAN OCEAN Dongara DEVELOPMENT AREA 29 30 00 S WA-286-P Beekeeper's Nature Reserve Western 30 00 00 S Australia 5 0 0 Geraldton m 2 0 0 m Perth 1 0 0 m Nature Reserve 30 30 00 S Cervantes Proposed Marine Reserve Petroleum Permit Area 0 10 20 30 40 50 Km 114 00 00 E 114 30 00 E 115 00 00 E Figure ES1 Regional locality map vi Cliff Head Development PER Roc Oil (WA) Pty Limited Executive Summary ids into gas, oil and water and serve as the control centre for the opera- tion. The gas will be used as fuel gas in the processing train, the oil is the product and the water will be sent by return pipeline for reinjection into the producing formation. Make-up water will be drawn from a saline aquifer to maintain reservoir pressure.