By Mohamed Jaward Nyallay
An Environment Social and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) study has paved way for a Seismic Survey in the offshore waters of Sierra Leone. The study is the first step to getting license for the Seismic survey which will impact the future of oil and gas drilling in Sierra Leone.
According to the Petroleum Directorate, the survey will be done to get more data on the location of potential sites for oil drilling thereby reducing the risk associated with deep water exploration. The survey will be done by United Kingdom based geophysical company, Geo-Partners.
“Seismic surveys produce detailed images and related information about the various rock types and their location beneath the Earth’s surface. The acquired information is used to determine the location and size of oil and gas reservoirs,” Timothy Kabba, Director General of Petroleum Directorate, explained during a public disclosure of the report.
Kabba stressed the importance of the survey considering the need for more information about the oil and gas potential of the country.
“It could mean opening new doors and new opportunities for the furtherance of offshore exploration in Sierra Leone. We have existing data, but this particular set of data has improved resolutions. It has improved technology that could reveal the deposits in our offshore. And it also extends to other areas where at the moment we haven’t explored or we have little geo-physical about,” Kabba said.
The study comes in time when the Directorate has restarted the process of accepting bids for oil and gas drilling blocks in the country’s waters. The survey will cover 9,600 sq.km of Sierra Leone waters.
This is the fifth public disclosure of the report that has been held across the country. The other disclosures were held in coastal districts like Pujehun, Port Loko, Bonthe and Tombo in the Western Rural Area.
The ESHIA report which was done by a local company, Integrated Geo-information and Environmental Management Services (INTEGEMS), assessed the possible health, social, environmental and economic impact of the proposed survey. It also a highlighted several solutions for all the challenges that were raised in the report.
A challenge highlighted by the INTEGEMS study was the possible disruption of life for marine mammals. The seismic survey will be conducted through the production of sound and the monitoring of the vibration.
According to INTERGEMS, studies have shown that marine mammals that can be affected - Blue whales, Humpback whales, Dolphins and Turtles - are very sensitive to noise.
“This is something the report has taken into consideration,” Senior Consultant at INTEGEMS, Mansa Musa, explained during his presentation of the report.
As a way of protecting the mammals, INTEGEMS say Geo-Partners will employ monitors and other mechanisms for the survey’s effect to be as minimal as possible on the lifecycle of these animals.
“On the vessel, there will be marine mammal monitors. Before the start of the survey they will do sighting for any marine mammal within a three-mile radius. If they are sighted, the vessel will wait for at least an hour for the mammals to move away as far as three miles. Then the vessel will start soft start for 30-40 minutes, so the vibration will send them away,” Musa said.
This report is mandatory as per Environment Protect Agency (EPA) regulations. Following the review of the report, the agency can issue an Environmental Impact Assessment license to Geo-Partners for the seismic survey.
The Director of Natural Resources at EPA, Ramatu Massaquoi, said the agency will consider giving the license once its board meets to discuss the report.
“We haven’t given the ok yet. EPA will do so once it has been presented to the board through a collective report,” she said at the program.
There is no clear timeline yet as to when the survey will start but the Directorate say they will need at least a month to assemble resources, if EPA awards the liscenes to Geo-Partners.
“With regards to the timeline, it is all contingent on the issuance of the license by the EPA. If the EPA gives the license say in this August, we need at least a month to mobilize the board and other resources for the survey,” said Kabba.
He added, “So we are hoping that the EPA will give the license this August and perhaps the survey will start the end of August or early September.”
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