Environment
Santos has a long history of conducting its activities in a way that avoids and minimises potential impacts on the environment. This is based on a thorough understanding of the environment itself, coupled with proven techniques tailored to specific ecosystems.
Tony Dean, Instrument Technician, and Peter ODowd, Field Operator, installing solar powered air compressor, Tirrawarra, Cooper Basin.
Employees and contractors have specific responsibilities for minimising environmental impacts, as detailed in the Environmental Vision, Commitment and Policy. Hazard analysis, monitoring, auditing and inspections are used to continuously improve procedures and practices.
The company-wide Environment, Health and Safety Management System provides a structured framework for effective environmental and safety practice across all of Santos' activities and operations.
The system, based on the ISO 14001 and AS 4801 standards, has been designed to ensure consistent standards for all employees and contractors. It incorporates industry best practice and includes 17 management standards and more than 30 hazard standards.
Environmental Performance
Santos monitors environmental performance by tracking against strategic company-wide and site-specific key performance indicators.
Emergency contingency plans, established for all key operating areas, are tested and updated on a regular basis.
Santos reports and investigates environmental incidents, near misses and hazards. Issues of concern are incorporated into hazard registers. Procedures are modified to prevent recurrence in similar circumstances.
External assessments of Santos' environment, health and safety standards have been undertaken at major operating sites to determine the level of conformance, to provide a baseline from which opportunities to improve performance can be identified and acted upon.
Environmental Policy
Our Environmental Vision: ‘We will lighten the footprint of our activities’
At Santos we are adopting the principles of sustainable development. We recognise our responsibility to meet community expectations and we are committed to the continuous improvement of our environmental performance. We believe that environmental stewardship is both a management obligation and the responsibility of every employee.
To achieve this we will:
- Maintain and continuously improve the Environment, Health and Safety Management System (EHSMS) across the organisation.
- Ensure that all employees and contractors receive appropriate training to fulfil their individual EHSMS and environmental responsibilities.
- Proactively pursue the identification of all hazards and eliminate or, if not possible, manage the risk to as low as reasonably practicable.
- Establish annual environmental objectives and targets and implement programs to achieve them.
- As a minimum comply with relevant legal and other requirements.
- Ensure that we have the resources and skills necessary to achieve our environmental commitments.
- Incorporate environmental performance in the annual appraisal of employees and contractors and recognise accordingly.
- Implement strategies to minimise pollution, manage waste effectively, use water and energy efficiently and address relevant cultural heritage and biodiversity issues.
- Formally monitor, audit, review and report annually on our environmental performance and EHSMS requirements against defined objectives.
- Require that companies providing contract services to Santos manage their environmental performance in line with this Policy.
- Steward the environmental performance of Joint Venture activities operated by others.
As Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, I am committed to working with Santos personnel to ensure that this policy is communicated, understood, accepted and successfully implemented by all Santos employees and contractors.
David Knox
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director
Climate Change Policy
Our Climate Change Vision: “Santos will lower the carbon intensity of its products”
Climate change is a long-term issue, requiring urgent but informed action to stabilise atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. As a global stakeholder in the energy business we recognise that one of our key social and environmental responsibilities is to pursue strategies that address the issue of climate change.
To achieve these commitments we will:
- Continue to reduce the carbon intensity of Santos’ products by focussing on energy efficiency, technology development and by embedding a carbon price in all activities
- Use energy more efficiently by identifying opportunities to implement energy efficiency projects and report their progress
- Examine the commercial development of low emission technologies, including storage solutions, which will contribute towards long-term aspirational greenhouse gas emission reduction targets
- Pursue no flaring or venting of associated gas, unless there are no feasible alternatives
- Continue to publicly disclose Santos’ greenhouse emissions profile and carefully examine forecast emissions
- Understand, manage and monitor climate change risk and develop appropriate adaptation strategies for our business
- Assist governments and engage with other stakeholders on the design of effective and equitable climate change regulations and policy
Santos will inform employees about its commitment to climate change and ensure climate change initiatives continue to be implemented. The Santos Board will review progress against this policy quarterly.
David Knox
Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director
APPEA Environment Award Winner 2007
Santos won the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association's Environment Award in 2007 for research on the interaction between whales and seismic activity.
The award recognises the partnership between Santos and Deakin University which has provided a valuable insight into blue whale movements off south-eastern Australia and presented new research on how exploration and whales can live together.
Santos has worked closely with regulatory authorities and researchers since 2002 to better understand the distribution and behaviour of whales during seismic surveys in the Otway and Duntroon Basins. Aerial surveillance, towed hydrophone cables and ocean bottom sound recorders were used to track the whales.
In 2006, the company also contributed significant funds towards the purchase by Deakin University of a specialist vessel to observe whale behaviour.
When presenting the award to Santos, Chris Gunner (Shell Development Australia Chief Operating Officer) commended Santos’ contribution to industry knowledge of seismic and underwater sound, as well as marine animals and how petroleum exploration and production might affect them.
‘This information has been shared willingly and freely with the rest of the industry in Australia and has been taken around the world,’ he said.
‘Santos has made a great contribution to the decision-making ability of government and the ongoing revisions to the seismic exploration guidelines. These efforts have resulted in a better understanding of whales and their interactions with the industry, all to the benefit of the industry, the whales and the community as a whole.’
Banksia Environmental Award Finalist 2004
Santos was a finalist in the prestigious national Banksia Environmental Awards for its leadership role in permanently protecting Australia’s unique Coongie Lakes wetlands from future mining and petroleum exploration activity.
In 2001, Santos initiated discussions with the Conservation Council of South Australian and the Wilderness Society to develop a Memorandum of Understanding, which recommended to the South Australian Government that mining activity be banned in the Coongie Lakes area.
As a result, in September 2003 the South Australian Parliament passed legislation which established a National Park over the southern part of the Coongie Lakes, northwest of Innamincka, and established a larger protection area over the whole of the Coongie Lakes and surrounding area.
While Santos held exploration rights to this area in the past, the company recognised its community responsibility to protect this important wildlife habitat and refuge.
Simon Divecha, chief executive of the Conservation Council of South Australia, said the conservation movement was delighted with the decision. ‘It’s a giant step forward,’ he said.
‘Santos has been an excellent group of people to work with in delivering a result that 10 years ago would have appeared impossible.’