Capping stack to plug leaking oil well can take up to nine days to reach site

On November 9 2022, reaches the location, in such including the cost and t h e E n v i r o n m e n t a l an unfortunate event. The benefits of each such Protection Agency (EPA) Yellowtail project is system.” issued its fourth Permit to expectedtoproduceasmuch FormerHeadoftheEPA, Esso Exploration and as 250,000 barrels of oil per Dr VincentAdamsduringan Production Guyana Limited day Alliance For Change (AFC) (EEPGL) - ExxonMobil The Permit at Section press conference last week Guyana- to conduct 9.14 explains “The Permit told the media that while production activities at the Holder shall maintain access Vice President Bharrat Yellowtaildevelopment. to at least one (1) Jagdeo claims to have

The Permit, for the first subscription service, in a tightened environmental time, required that a capping location outside of Guyana, provisions in the Permits stack be procured and stored to allow mobilization of a granted to the oil company, in country to be used in the capping stack to the its position on the Capping eventofaspill. Yellowtail Project location Stack arrival to a blown-out

Acappingstackisusedto withinnine(9)calendardays wellprovesdifferent. cap a blown-out well. It is a or less of an uncontrolled “The Vice President heavy piece of equipment wellevent.” keeps going around saying that was engineered Similarly,thenewPermit that they tightened the subsequent to one of the granted by the regulator for e n v i r o n m e n t a l world’s most devastating the oil giant’s fifth project- regulations that capping spills in the Gulf of Mexico; Uaru- also makes provision stack was created by Dr where a blown out well forthecappingstacktobeon BynoeundertheDepartment continued releasing oil into site within nine days. This of Energy and we supported theoceanfor87days. can be found at Section 9.13 him. We demanded that that

This tool is used to stop of the document, which was capping stack has to get to or redirect the flow of signedonApril27,2023. the site within three dayshydrocarbons, allowing Exxon’s Uaru project is that’s what’s in the Payara. engineers to permanently designedtoproduce250,000 Do you know what they did? sealthewell. barrels per day on an annual They took that out of the

According to the average, according to Payaraandputninedaysinto Yellowtail Permit, Exxon Environmental Impact Yellowtail which is the will have up to nine days to Assessment (EIA). It can Permit that they wrote,” he ensure that the capping stack however produce up to argued.

263,000barrelsofoiladay It must be noted that the

The Payara Permit- for while there is likely to be Exxon’s third project- extreme damage from such however required that the an event offshore, there is Capping Stack be deployed still no evidence of full within three to four days - liability coverage from the less than half the time now parent company This means requiredattheotherprojects. Guyanacanbelefttofootthe

Thedocument,signedon costs of cleanup, repairs and September 24, 2020 states at compensation if these costs Section 8.10 “Within thirty are not covered by the (30) days of the date of the limited US$600 million Permit, the Permit Holder insurance. shall submit to the EPA for Besides the insurance, approval, terms of reference EEPGL has about US$9 for a study detailing the billioninassetswhichtheVP implementation of a system says could be seized to pay that allows for deployment for the damages. Dr. Adams of a Capping Stack and also believes that this is Debris Removal Systems merely a band-aid to the within three (3) days and wound as these assets are four (4) days of an paid for through cost uncontrolled well event, recoverybyGuyana.