Two years
after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, energy groups Exxon and Rosneft plan
to cooperate in exploiting the Arctic's oil reserves. It's a big challenge -
not least for the region's vulnerable ecosystems.
Some 13
percent of the world's untapped oil reserves and almost a third of untapped gas
reservoirs are estimated to be stored in the Arctic - a region that was long
deemed inaccessible to the machinery needed to extract the resources.
But since
climate change has caused sea ice to melt, there has been a virtual oil rush by
the industry's giants to tap these reserves. Rising oil prices and the desire
to be independent from oil imports are adding to a growing wish to extract new
sources of energy.
Cooperation
in the cold instead of 'Cold War'
An
agreement between Russian state group Rosneft and BP was cancelled last year.
After a year of negotiations, Rosneft signed a deal Monday with American giant
Exxon, agreeing to concessions in the field of energy taxes and tariffs.
"Experts
describe the project as just as ambitious as manned space travel or the journey
to the moon," Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said at a
presentation in New York.
Energy
groups Exxon and Rosneft plan to invest a total of more than 380 billion euros
($502 billion) in their cooperation. At least 15 sea platforms would be built
on the Arctic Kara Sea, Sechin told reporters. The Kara Sea is estimated to
hold 36 billion barrels of recoverable reserves.
"Today
Rosneft and Exxon Mobil enter offshore projects of unprecedented scale,"
said Rosnef President Eduard Khudainatov.
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| Oil rigs used in the Arctic Ocean have to be iceproof - like here in the Caspian Sea |
Environmental
groups have warned about the dangers of a possible oil disaster in the region
with its sensitive ecosystems. According to Greenpeace, the Arctic ecosystem is
the ultimate loser in the deal between Rosneft and Exxon, which was initially
made public in August 2011 and has only now been presented with all its
details.
"An
oil spill like the one we saw in the Gulf of Mexico would have far worse
consequences in the Arctic," said Greenpeace's oil expert Jörg Feddern.
Scientists
blame the chemicals that were used to dissolve the oil after the accident for
reports about diseases and disfiguration of fish and shrimps in the Gulf of
Mexico. And more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez spill the waters in
Alaska still carry traces of oil.
 |
| The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico killed many animals |
A study by
the international insurance company Lloyds warned about the high risks entailed
in economic endeavors in the Arctic. Charles Emmerson of the Chatham House
think tank which conducted the study on behalf of Lloyds, said there are
"imminent costs, environmental risks, and uncertainties" to developing
the Arctic and that strong political guidance, risk management and enhanced
scientific research are necessary to cope with the project's unique risks and
challenges.
Education
vs. extraction
John
Farrel, CEO of the US Arctic Research Commission, said additional data about
the Arctic needed to be collected. The region is warming up twice as fast as
the rest of the planet and he added that research was losing in significance as
the race for resources picked up speed.
Aqqualuk
Lynge, a Greenlander and chairman of the Inuit organization Circumpolar
Council, which represents some 160,000 Inuit who live in the Arctic regions of
Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Chukotka (Russia) and calls for caution and
sustainability when accessing the Arctic's natural resources, criticized the
speed with which the project has been pushed forward. He said he doubted the
technology was in place to drill safely in Arctic waters without harming seals
and whales.
Infrastructure
with flaws
Safety and
infrastructure represent big challenges when drilling and transporting oil
across the Arctic, according to Jörn Harald Andersen, a consultant with
Norwegian Clean Seas Association (NOFO), which supports the operating companies
in Norwegian waters in charge of cleaning away oil spills.
 |
| Less ice because of climate change means the Arctic is more accessible |
"The
further north we go for work the less daylight there obviously is in
winter," Andersen said, adding that the companies also have to deal with
restricted visibility because of fog, low temperatures and a lack of proper
infrastructure.
"We
have to transport lots of equipment and staff there. There's hardly any local
support and logistics is more difficult than elsewhere," he said. But he
also said he is convinced that his group could cope with a potential oil spill
in the Arctic.
Ecosystem
under pressure
Environmental
groups, however, disagree. WWF and Greenpeace both said they doubt the oil
industry is sufficiently prepared for a large oil spill in the Arctic.
Signing a
sea rescue operation agreement by the Arctic Council last year is not enough to
guarantee safety when expanding oil exploitation and oil transport activities
in the Arctic, according to Frida Bengtsson of Greenpeace Norway.
The Arctic's
enormous territory is difficult to access, making it difficult to react
appropriately in the event of an oil disaster caused by drilling activities or
tanker transport, she said.
"I
think it's the biggest imminent threat to the Arctic ecosystem," Bengtsson
said.
Author: Irene Quaile / nh
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