| Client: | BP |
|---|---|
| Project: | Major asset investment for BP: climate change risk screening and adaptation planning |
| Year: | 2006 |
Scope:
This project delivered a risk assessment of the expected climate risks faced by one of the company’s most important new projects, covering operating life and de-commissioning phase. The assets include a new power station, gas and oil pipelines and the re-commissioning of an oil production platform.
A comprehensive report was produced, identifying observed and future changes in precipitation, temperature, storminess, sea level and sea conditions specific to the location of the assets. The analysis involved identifying and compiling the latest climate change science for the company’s on-shore and off-shore facilities.
A risk screening exercise indicated that using both historic observed climate data and regional climate model projections provided a more robust basis for asset design, operating performance and management. It has shown that design standards for existing assets need to be reviewed to verify they can cope with changing climate conditions during both the operation and de-commissioning phases. It has also shown that the design of new assets needs to be adaptable over their lifetimes, so they can continue to operate efficiently as climatic conditions change.
Recommendations have been made to BP regarding changes to operating, asset maintenance and monitoring regimes, and data collection. For example, the report recommends that risk assessment and management systems, environmental management systems, health and safety procedures, etc. should be stress-tested against projected climatic changes at the site. The outcomes of the report are being used by the client project manager and engineers to ‘design out’ climate risks to the assets as far as possible.
Other information:
This report is confidential at this stage.
Acclimatise expertise:
- Project-level climate change risk assessment, using best available climate change data and information
- Use of climate change risk management framework
- Analysis of asset levels of serviceability and failure with respect to a changing climate
- Developing ownership and responsibility for adaptation.