Shell Gabon operates the giant Rabi field, located in the central part of Gabon (West Africa), in an area of dense primary rain forest, sparsely populated but with a rich and varied fauna and flora.

Rabi project development (Phase I) started in 1987 and was completed in 1992. An additional development programme (Rabi Phase II) will be implemented over a four year period starting in 1993.

An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was carried out in 1988. A new EIA was performed early 1993, it has taken advantage of acquired experience to elaborate stricter measures to protect the environment and to improve on past performance.

Keys areas in this respect are unexpected forest dieback due to drainage pattern changes, erosion of unprotected land, produced gas and water re-injection, waste management and protection of animal life.

This paper demonstrates that responsible environmental management can be integrated into project development to minimize the impact on the sensitive environment of the rain forest.

Keywords:
upstream oil & gas, rabi field, forest dieback, extension, pipeline, rabi phase ii, regrowth, deforestation, disturbance, air emission
Subjects:
Drilling Operations, Environment, Air emissions
Copyright 1994, Society of Petroleum Engineers
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