EnergyBC

Exploration Hazards (more...)

Several challenges would be involved in offshore oil and gas exploration in BC. As worker safety is always the first priority, the potentially severe geologic and meteorological conditions in Hecate Strait and Queen Charlotte Sound must be taken into consideration for all aspects of operations. Seismic activity is the most pressing concern, however intense storms are not uncommon in Hecate Strait at certain times of year which result in large waves. Modern platform engineering has improved dramatically in an attempt to deal with these issues.

Geological hazards are conditions or active processes that pose a potential threat to petroleum exploration or development including the long term security of sea floor installations (ex. wellheads and pipelines) (SFU 2004, Strong Appendix 11)

Earthquakes	- the west coast is the most earthquake prone region of Canada
	- the Geological Survey of Canada plans on producing a seismic hazard map and the Coasts Under Stress project will evaluate potential hazards
	- eventually areas that are particularly hazardous will be ruled out from exploration

There are also environmental hazards associated with exploration off of the coast of BC (Appendix 14 Strong et al., 2002).

*Temperature*	- temperatures offshore BC are actually quite mild in comparison to the east coast
Wind and Tides	- strong winds, especially October to February, generate considerable waves and swells
	- waves up to 20-30 meters in height have been recorded in Hecate Straight
	- the Queen Charlotte Basin has strong, complex tides that move up to 50cm/second
	- strong tides would expose pipelines to considerable stress and would affect the dispersal of any pollutants such as drilling muds and oil spills
*Oil Spills and Blowouts*	- risk of a blowout is higher during exploration than production - once blowout of spill has occurred, very little can be done to effectively clean up
	- see Oil Spills and Blowouts for more information

Further Details