Achieving & Sustaining Impeccable HSE Performance in Brown Field Operations Comes at a Cost OML26 Blazes the Trail

Abstract

The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC), and First Hydrocarbon Nigeria (FHN) its joint venture partner in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 26, established OML 26 Asset Management Team (AMT) to manage the lease together with all the assets and facilities on behalf of the joint venture (JV). The facilities include the flow station, the compressor station, and the gantry at Ogini field, a LACT Unit at Eriemu, and Operational Base for alternative evacuation in Asaba – Ase all in Delta State, Nigeria. Since the inception of the AMT in 2016, the asset has achieved and maintained a GOAL ZERO HSE performance record. Achieving GOAL ZERO HSE performance in a brown field like OML 26 is a herculean task. It is so, considering the operational challenges that require aggressive interventions in the forms of various projects, and the increased field activities. The debottlenecking activities results in more manhours, greater exposures and a high propensity for environmental impact. In line with the vision of the AMT to be the Best Performing Energy Investment (BPEI) the HSE department established a proactive system for identifying and managing operational risks and ensuring regulatory compliance consistently. This paper highlights the tremendous efforts, strategies and policies of the HSE department in ensuring success and meeting set HSE goals. It focuses on the costs in terms of commitments, governance and drive at all levels in achieving a sustained impressive performance and compliance to regulatory and international standards.