ACTIVITIES OF HYPREP (HYDROCARBON POLLUTION REMEDIATION PROJECT)

Remediation work done at Lot 009 out of the five (5) outstanding Lots in Phase 1 Batch 1 Remediation Project Lots/Sites.

At Lot 009 (Saanako – Mogho, Gokana L.G.A), the Contractor has evacuated the dredged sand from the project site to a suitable part of the area and has already achieved more than half of excavation of impacted soil at the delineated area as well as treatment of parts thereof. The Monitoring {Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QAQC)} processes by HYPREP and the Contractor have already commenced, preparatory to backfilling of the large part of the excavated area.The other four (4) outstanding Phase 1 Batch 1 Remediation Lots (Lot 011 and 012 at Debon-Bodo/Mogho, Lot 013 at Nweekol Zorbuke –K.Dere and Lot 016 (Korokoro Well 005) are at present out of site awaiting completion processes for milestone payments

Information on Status of Remediation Works summarized in Table 1 Below:

Close-out / Certification Sampling was completed at three (3) of the sites in Phase 1 Batch 1 in the period covered in this report. The sites include Lot 019 and 020 at Buemene Korokoro Well 8 in Tai L.G.A as well as Lot 014 (Nweekol Zorbuke, K.Dere in Gokana L.G.A). The Rivers State Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (RMENR) and the Social Democracy Network (SDN) also participated in the process which is statutorily driven by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

Status of Phase 1 Batch 2 Sites

Setting up of site offices had begun at twenty-seven (27) out of the twenty-nine (29) Phase 1, Batch 2 remediation sites {the two (2) pending Lots in this category are Lot 027 at Bara Alue, Tai L.G.A and Lot 032 at B.Dere / Gio, Gokana / Tai L.G.As}. 

Seventeen (17) of the twenty-nine (29) lots in Batch 2 have either completed the construction of their engineered biocells or at about 80%. These include Lots 022, 023, 024, 026, 029, 030, 031, 033, 034, 042, 043, 044, 045, 047, 048, 054 and 056. Five (5) other Lots (025, 046, 049, 050 and 053) are already at different stages of construction expecting completion soon.

Excavation of impacted soil has been completed in two (2) of the sites in Phase 1 Batch 2 remediation works while treatment and backfilling are at various stages of progression. Eleven (11) other Lots are at various stages of excavation and treatment of impacted soil while the remaining sixteen (16) are expected to commence same soon (see Table 2 below). Note: All quantities of free phase crude oil encountered during remediation works are always recovered, stored temporarily in safe reinforced plastic tanks on site and relinquished to asset owner before works are completed.

Table 3: Details of Status of Excavation Works at Lots in Phase 1 Batch 2 HYPREP Remediation Works.

Information on Status of Remediation Works of Phase 1 Batch 2 Sites summarized below:

STATUS OF PHASE 1, BATCH 1 AND BATCH 2 REMEDIATION PROJECT

STATUS OF PHASE 1, BATCH 1 SITES

             Active Phase 1 Batch 1 Lots

In the month of January 2021, remediation work was actively in progress at three (3) of the five (5) outstanding Lots in Phase 1 Batch 1 Remediation Project Lots/Sites.At Lot 009 (Saanako – Mogho, Gokana L.G.A), the contractor was engaged in movement of dredged sand from the project site to a section suitable for evacuation by the local sand dredger.

Plate 1: On-going relocation of dredged sand from the project area at Lot 009 (Saanako) in Mogho, Gokana L.G.A.

At Lot 012 (Debon-Bodo/ Mogho, Gokana L.G.A), the contractor Messrs. Shamsa Resources & Services Ltd undertook excavation and treatment of contaminated soil and backfilling of remediated soil. He achieved additional 20%, bringing his overall achievement of work done to 85%. Soil samples which were earlier taken from some sections of the site for Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) by HYPREP for internal verification in NOSDRA accredited laboratory had returned showing considerable reduction in the levels of TPH in soil. Contractor has been authorized to backfill the clean trenches with treatedsoil

At Lot 013 (NweekolZorbuke Section A, K. Dere, Gokana L.G.A), the contractor Centennial Devt. & Investment Ltd achieved additional 25% of remediation work involving excavation and treatment of contaminated soil as well as backfilling of clean remediated soil. Soil samples from Section A2 of the site were taken for Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) by HYPREP for internal verification in NOSDRA accredited laboratory.

Plate 3: Officers from the Operations Unit undertake QA/QC Monitoring Sampling in an excavated trench.

The other two (2) outstanding Phase 1 Batch 1 Remediation Lots, Lot 011 (Debon- Bodo/Mogho) and Lot 016 (Korokoro Well 005) are presently out of site awaiting completion of processes of Milestone payments.

         Detailed information of remediation work performance status

Setting up of site offices had begun at twenty-two (22) out of the twenty-nine (29) Phase 1, Batch 2 remediation sites who just recently mobilized to site

Nine (9) of them (Lots 022, 023, 026,  030,  042,  043,  045, 054, 056 ) had  completed  the co n s t r u c t i o n of t h e i r Engineered Biocell with seven (7) others (Lots 031, 033, 044, 047, 048, 049, 053) are already a t  d i f f e r e n t  s t a g e s   o f c o n s t r u c t i o n e x p e c t i n g completion with.

Three (3) Phase 1, Batch 2 Remediation Lots (Lot 022 located in B/Dere-Gio, Gokana/Tai L.G.A, Lot 042 in Korokoro Well 004 in Tai L.G.A and Lot 043 located in Ngofa- Aleto site in Eleme L.G.A) have achieved varying levels of Excavation of impacted soil and subsequent treatment of excavated materials

Remediation work performance status of Phase 1 Batch 2 sites is summarized in Table 2 below:

ON-THE-SPOT ASSESSMENT OF CONTRACTORS’ PERFORMANCE AT SITE

To ensure that HYPREP Contractors are carrying out the remediations works according to specification and in line with best international practice, the Head of Operations overseeing the Project Coordination Office, Prof. Philp Shekwolo led HYPREP team on an inspection visit to active sites in Phase 1, Batch 2 remediation in order to assess the performance of the Contractors at the sites on 29th January 2020.

As at the time of the visit, works were progressing steadily and according to HYPREP specification; however, Prof. Shekwolo urged the contractors to take advantage of the good weather condition by increasing their pace of work before the rains set in. He also used the opportunity to appeal to the host communities to continue to support the project and not to indulge in acts of sabotage.

The contractors were happy with the visit and promised to ensure that the quality of work is not compromised.

RESTORATION OF MANGROVE IN OGONILAND

STRATEGY FOR IMPLEMENTATION

A virtual meeting on ‘Strategy for the implementation of Mangrove Restoration was held on Wednesday 27th January 2020 where the Project Coordination Office was the host. The Meeting which began at about 1:15 p.m. had in attendance the underlisted

The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the Strategy for HYYPREP’s Implementation of Mangrove Restoration and Management in Ogoniland proposed by Prof. Philip D. Shekwolo, the Head of the Operations overseeing the Project Coordination Office, HYPREP. Prof. Philip Shekwolo gave a breakdown of his proposal which was discussed by the participants:

A.    Set-up of Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Team (SCAT)

Prof. Shekwolo proposed that the SCAT team, which is to carry out a ground survey of the area to be restored will consist of 2 members of the following stakeholder groups:

• HYPREP (Host)
• UNEP
• FME
• RSME
• SPDC
• SDN/CHERD
• FRIN
• NOSDRA
• MOSOP
• KAGOTE

Concerns about the logistics for mobilizing the team to the field and the representation of the Ogoni community by 2 different bodies, were raised. For the logistic for mobilization of the team, Prof. Shekwolo said that HYPREP would be responsible, and that the cost for the logistics has been captured in the HYPREP 2021 budget.

On the representation of the Ogoni community by 2 organizations, it was decided that MOSOP and KAGOTE will be merged to provide 2 representatives, one (1) from each organization. The total number of members of the SCAT team was thus reduced from 20 to 18. The field team, however, will also include some other persons who are not members of the SCAT team, like security personnel and community guides.

A.    Terms of Reference (ToR)

Stoppage of artisanal refining: It was pointed out that the team’s efforts can only be contributory as this is an area where even the government has not had a lot of success so far.Timeline & Timing: The entire restoration of the mangrove is a multi-year project and the timeline should be reflected as such in the proposal. The 6-months timeline for the scoping period is to be reflected in the proposal as well.

An issue with the timing of the project was raised by Mr. Nwabueze, he said that it might be too soon to begin the mangrove restoration project since the upland remediation is still on- going and the work has not yet begun on the Category A sites, hence the workload might be overwhelming. In response Prof. Shekwolo said that it is essential to begin work on the eyesore areas like the mangroves as they have more visual impact and would help restoring the people’s faith in HYPREP’s activities; these activities can be run con-currently. It was also noted by Mr. Clark of SPDC that the ToR did not include a mechanism for reflecting the learnings from previous similar projects.

A.    Deliverables

Responsibility Ownership: It was made clear that the overall execution project is owned by HYPREP and the SCAT team will just be contributing.It was agreed that since the SCAT scoping exercise would last for 6 months, the deliverables for that activity should be adjusted to fit in that timeframe.

B.    Approach and Modalities

It was suggested that the method for tackling the artisanal refining be reconsidered. The proposal is to be submitted to the Governing Council (GC) of HYPREP for approval, but because the GC has not been reinstated, it was pointed out that the timeline might need to be reviewed.

Reference
https://hyprep.gov.ng/remediation-work/

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