Abstract
The objective of this work is to analyze disturbances in the environment caused by anthropic activities in the oil and gas extraction sector. Methodologically, focusing on environmental vulnerability (EV), hydrocarbons (oil and gas) are considered through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of environmental impacts, including the research of Environmental Impact Studies and procedures like EIA/RIMA (institutional Environmental Impact Reports in Brazil). This study focuses on the operation and demobilization of the offshore drilling activity and the installation and operation of the Santos Basin pre-salt oil and gas production (Stages 1, 2, and 3). The criteria addressed in the EIA/RIMAs are used, focusing on those that correlate with EV and oil and gas extraction. Impacts for long-term, permanent, partially reversible, or irreversible disturbances are filtered, totaling 53 impacts (31 effective/21 potential). We concluded that the criteria and methodologies of EIAs vary between stages. At times, the variation is so drastic that the same impact can have a completely different rating from one stage to another, despite referring to the same area. This condition makes it impossible to define a single vulnerability index for the pre-salt venture. This work does not offer a concrete resolution, but exposes the EV issue and its inconsistencies.
Highlights
Fossil resources, such as oil and natural gas (NG), are non-renewable, as their formation is on a millennial scale
This study demonstrates that the determination of the environmental vulnerability linked to oil and natural gas extraction is complex and uncertain
By associating the three aspects of environmental vulnerability with the environmental impacts outlined and explored in the EIA/RIMA documents, this study demonstrates that there are a number of anthropic pressures on environmental vulnerability
Summary
Fossil resources, such as oil and natural gas (NG), are non-renewable, as their formation is on a millennial scale. Brazil began the pre-salt oil and natural gas offshore exploration in the early 1960s, increasing exponentially the domestic oil and natural gas production. In 2006, the Brazilian oil company, Petrobras, continued its exploration in order to discover new oil and gas fields, as it hoped to increase its national production: a goal that it successfully achieved. Petrobras estimated that it would drill 62 wells of the pre-salt reservoirs—25 exploratory and 27 development sites—from 2008 to 2010. In order to drill these wells, Petrobras proposed to use nine floating rigs—five drill ships and four semi-submersible platforms [5]
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