Environmental Sustainability: Wetin Chevron Do Sef
By Sulaimon Salau
Operations of oil multinationals are one of the major factors affecting the environment in Nigeria, especially in the Niger Delta region. In several cases, some oil firms have been fined or dragged in a law suit for environmental degradation, this is rarely the case of Chevron Nigeria Limited.
Since 1973, June 5 every year has been celebrated as World Environment Day (WED); a day set aside to raise awareness and promote actions to address environmental issues including marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development, wildlife crime, among others.
The focus for this year is on land restoration, desertification and drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), operator of the joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, has identified with the global action as it aligns with its commitment to protecting the environment while providing affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy that enables human progress.
Industry facts showed that Chevron’s operations are conducted with sound environmental management practices in compliance with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements, stakeholder expectations and best industry practices.
“This commitment to environmental stewardship, is a key part of CNL’s Operational Excellence integral to project planning and assets life cycle management. CNL places the highest priority on the safety of the people and the environment in its areas of operation,’ Chevron’s Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Jim Swartz, said.
Swartz explained that the theme for the year is consistent with the company’s values and environmental principles anchored on considering the environment in decision making, minimizing environment footprint, operating responsibly, and stewarding our sites.
“We take proactive measures to prevent negative environmental impacts when we do every task or plan projects. We identify and manage risks to the environment and reduce potential environmental impacts throughout the life of our assets.” Jim speaks further on the company’s focus on environmental stewardship, “We protect the environment through responsible design, development, operations and improve the integrity and reliability of our systems. We work to decommission, remediate and reclaim applicable sites, following environmental procedures and best practices,” he stated.
The Chevron boss also affirms CNL’ s dedication to achieving world class environmental excellence through its risk management process.
“We apply our Environment Risk Management process to identify, assess, mitigate, and manage environmental, community health, and social risks related to our operations”, he said.
“We also conduct regular environmental monitoring of the biodiversity in our onshore, offshore, and deep-water areas, including vegetation, wildlife, fishery, and marine mammals. We use a risk-based approach to manage water and biodiversity risks throughout the lifecycle of our assets and business,” he added.
General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Esimaje Brikinn, said the company also partners with local communities in its areas of operation to raise awareness and cooperation in implementing environmental sustainability actions.
According to him, CNL’s waste management philosophy covers the entire life cycle of waste and ensures that all the wastes generated from its operations are managed responsibly from cradle to grave, applying its third-party Waste Stewardship process as applicable.
Esimaje cites the company’s mangrove restoration program to demonstrate its dedication to environmental stewardship and proactive approach to addressing the challenges of ecosystem restoration in the Niger Delta.
“As part of our restoration efforts, we successfully restored approximately 18 hectares of land at different sites in our Western Area of operations which suffered fire incidents due to third party interference. The mangrove restoration also enabled CNL to impact the community positively through training of community women on identification of viable mangrove propagules, raising them in the nursery for transplanting of thousands of mangrove seedlings.”
CNL, he added, continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship through its lower carbon strategy, focused on lowering the carbon intensity of its operations by implementing methane detection and reduction capabilities. This has enabled CNL to reduce routine gas flaring by over 97% in its operations in the past 10 years, showing its environmental responsibility.
As a corporate member of the Nigerian Environmental Society, CNL promotes the engagement and commitment to environmental protection actions in Nigeria. In 1992, the company, in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (“NCF”), established the Lekki Conservation Centre, as a center of excellence in environmental research and education, which is also reserved as a sanctuary for the rich flora and fauna of the Lekki Peninsula.
Other initiatives include its support for the yearly postgraduate research grants for two PhD students in environment and conservation, instituted by the NCF; the annual S.L. Edu Memorial Lecture to promote environmental management awareness, and partnership with the Lagos State Government and NCF to sponsor the annual Walk for Nature event to create awareness for nature conservation and environmental issues.
According to Esimaje, “CNL’s efforts in environmental stewardship have continued to be recognized and applauded in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. CNL has a long history of working in collaboration with regulators and relevant stakeholders to identify and protect biodiversity in its areas of operation.”
As the world focuses on restoring land, preventing desertification, and coping with drought, CNL remains focused on its environment strategy “to further our ability to help protect and enhance biodiversity, manage waste generation and circularity, reduce air emissions, manage water resources and manage asset retirement requirements,” says Swartz.
