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Category: Environment / Environmental Impact / Oil and Gas / Industry / Mining Environmental Issues

Oil spill from Great Australian Bight project would be 'catastrophic'

Friday, 16 Sep 2016 10:19:30 | Alex Mann

BP's worst-cast modelling assumes no attempt would be made to stop an oil spill. (ABC News)

Any oil spill from BP’s proposed project in the Great Australian Bight would almost certainly hit some of South Australia's biggest tourism and aquaculture hotspots, research has shown.

Key points:

  • BP's modelling shows an oil spill from the Great Australian Bight could travel thousands of kilometres
  • A spill would hit many SA tourist locations within days
  • The federal regulator is expected to decide on BP's plan next week.

The oil and gas firm’s worst-case modelling released today showed a spill would definitely hit Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island if it happened in April-May, and was highly likely to impact the region at any other time of year.

BP is awaiting environmental approval to begin exploration drilling of South Australia's west coast, about 400 kilometres west of Port Lincoln.

A spill would more than likely impact Adelaide at any time of year, and the endangered southern right whale when they are nursing calves at the head of the Bight in winter.

The Wilderness Society's South Australian director Peter Owen said the figures contained in BP's report were alarming.

"This is catastrophic stuff, it must be stopped," Mr Owen said.

"It indicates that we could be looking at up to 4,000 kilometres of coastline with oil, 94 per cent chance of reaching Kangaroo Island with 15 days of a spill, 86 per cent of oil reaching Adelaide within 20 days of a spill," Mr Owen said.

Last year, the Wilderness Society released its own oil spill modelling into the possible effects.

The modelling released by BP paints a significantly worse picture.

According to the report, if a spill was to occur there would be a 70 per cent chance of reaching Apollo Bay and Wilsons Promontory, in Victoria, in winter.

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It would also have a 41 per cent chance of reaching the News South Wales south coast in winter.

oil rig at sea Photo: BP's worst-cast modelling assumes no attempt would be made to stop an oil spill. (ABC News)

"What BP have now put out makes what we put out, and commissioned look quite conservative," Mr Owen said.

"These are risks that we can't afford to take, we simply cannot afford to allow this to progress."

BP's worst case scenario modelling "assumes that no attempts to control, contain, disperse or recover an oil spill are attempted".

The report does not consider the fact that all of these measures would be employed in an actual spill event.

BP's environmental plan has twice been knocked back by the federal regulator National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA).

A decision on the company's third plan is due on Monday.

AustraliaPlus


 

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