Exxon & Rosneft Plan to Drill for Oil in Old Soviet Nuclear Dumping Ground
by James Burgess - Oilprice.com
It
has been well documented that oil majors from around the world are
looking at oil exploration in the Arctic, where they believe that some
of the largest untapped fields in the world still lie. Environmentalists
have been fighting efforts to start exploring for oil, fearing that any
serious oil spill could mean the destruction of one of the last
pristine wildernesses on the planet.
In
the Kara Sea, where Exxon Mobil and Rosneft are planning to drill a
region which is estimated to hold enough oil to supply the world for
five years, environmentalists have a new reason to fear for the
environment; nuclear radiation.
The
Kara Sea is so remote that the Soviet Union used it as a dumping ground
for radioactive material for more than 25 years. The two oil companies
have avoided calls for the nuclear waste, estimated to consist of over
17,000 barrels of radioactive waste, worn-out reactors, and even an old
nuclear submarine, to be cleared up before any exploration takes place.
Scientists
from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) will soon
present the results from their first survey in the area for 18 years, to
determine whether or not the radiation is stable or increasing.
Rosneft
released a statement to try and reassure the public that "all
ecological and nature protection norms are being followed at the same
time," using "the the best world practices available."
The
most dangerous item down on the sea floor in that area is the K-27
nuclear submarine, which was dumped their by the Soviet navy in 1981.
The NRPA said that any significant corrosion could damage the ships
reactor and cause an environmental disaster.
Per
Strand, a director at the NRPA, warned that "there might be a
hypothetical possibility that the spent nuclear fuel in the reactor in
extreme situations can cause an uncontrolled chain reaction, which can
lead to heat and radioactivity releases."
Igor
Kudrik, an ecologist from Norwegian campaign group Bellona, suggests
that "oil companies should make sure that the area is swiped clean of
nuclear waste before they start any oil exploration activity."
