Campaigners call and rally for Poole Harbour oil leak company Perenco to lose their operating permits and license, to end fossil fuel extraction in the county.
A month ago, we woke to the news that 200 barrels of oily liquid had leaked into Poole Harbour, causing extensive pollution, endangering the health of wildlife, people and pets. It was labelled an environmental disaster by conservation groups.
The spill was caused by a leaking pipe at Owers Bay, in Poole Harbour, a pipeline from the Wytch Farm Oil Production Site which is owned and operated by Perenco. Until 2011 the site, which is Western Europe’s largest producing oil facility, was owned by BP, but in the aftermath of their Gulf of Mexico disaster in 2010 BP looked to shed their aging and less profitable assets.
Whilst a major incident was declared, Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) and Perenco played down the impact describing it as “not so bad as first thought” whilst local conservation and environmental groups expressed horror, deep concern and sadness, recognising the full impact on the local area. It was a close-to-home example that demonstrates the environmental devastation that comes with oil and gas drilling.
Friends of the Earth East Dorset has been concerned for a very long time, and Dr. Martin Price succinctly sums up their concerns, “We have been arguing since 1984 that Wytch Farm oil should not be tapped, as the area is too important for nature. Instead, we should have invested in renewables – solar, wind, wave and tidal. We should be investing in a clean future, not a dirty, outmoded fossil fuel technology from the past.”
This coming Monday, May Day Bank Holiday, Extinction Rebellion (XR) groups from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), and across Dorset will stage a peaceful, family-friendly protest at Wytch Farm. The event will start at Norden Park & Ride / Swanage Railway (BH20 5DW) at 9.45am.
A procession along the lane towards Wytch Farm has been agreed with Dorset Police, and protestors will maintain a presence at the production site gate for two hours.
Event co-organiser Adam Osman from XR BCP says “Join us to make a stand against site owners Perenco, and their risky oil business. Perenco is a dinosaur of the fossil fuel industry, with a poor track record on safety and a history of greenwashing. They polluted Poole Harbour, and we believe this production site is now past its expiry date. It’s time for oil production to end here, and for fossil fuel production to wind down everywhere”.
The event comes soon after XR’s The Big One in London, which saw 60,000+ people and over 200 organisations come together to demand the government take action on the climate and ecological crises, including no more new oil and gas projects. The event at Wytch Farm will be very much in that flavour, and the organisers encourage everyone to come.
Rebecca Saville from XR Purbeck says “Bring your family and friends, bring your colourful banners and your instruments, bring a picnic and a blanket. Bring your voices and your love for Dorset’s beautiful environment and nature, and your rage at how it is being mistreated. Bring your call for the Environment Agency and authorities to end Wytch Farm’s license to drill and spill.”
Corfe Castle Parish Council calls on Perenco to take further measures to ensure no oil leak occurs again. The Wytch Farm oil field works are wholly situated in the Parish of Corfe Castle whose boundaries extend from Poole Harbour to the English Channel.
Their formal statement published on 26th April says, “The Parish Council expresses its deep concern about the significant oil spill in Ower Bay on 26th March which caused pollution in Poole Harbour and the coastline. The Parish Council (PC) believes that the terms of the operating licence require fail safe maintenance procedures in this world class and highly sensitive environment. The PC asked how did the maintenance failure occur? What system changes are being put in place to prevent any reoccurrence?”
Caz Dennett is an experienced safety consultant in the oil & gas industry, and publicly quit her contract with Shell last year over their environmental harms.
She says the likelihood of further leaks, spills and other safety incidents increases as facilities age, and firmly believes the 44-year-old Wytch Farm site should now prepare to shutdown permanently. “I’ve witnessed many aging facilities become more risky, as the temptation for operators and owners to neglect maintenance, cut corners and cutback on resources increases as profits wane. Perenco who have a lot operations around the UK, made a £113 million loss in 2019, and £107 million loss again in 2020. They’ve reduced their operating costs by 10%, and in real speak that means they made cuts. These cuts come at a cost, and Dorset has paid the price. We say Perenco cannot be trusted to operate safely and the Environment Agency and other regulatory authorities must take action to ensure there can be absolutely no repeat.”
Dorchester-based campaigner Julie-Ann Booker who is in regular contact with Councils across Dorset said, “We spoke to Dorset Council about Perenco’s licence at Wytch Farm immediately after the spill and they were sympathetic to our call for it to be revoked. So, we need to push hard, we need more voices to make it clear we want ‘Perenco Out!’ and as quickly as possible to avoid further environmental disaster.”
Cllr Ray Bryan, Lead Councillor for the Environment at Dorset Council told the campaign group on Wednesday night that “Dorset Council is managing the clean-up, and Perenco should foot the bill for it. The Council are awaiting a report as to the root cause of the incident, to understand if the leak occurred due to corrosive pipes, and the extent to which there has been a lack of control or care from Perenco in managing their risks. The report is expected to take approx. 5-6 weeks.”
In the meantime, the campaigners urge people to get involved, join the protest, and sign the petition.
EVENT DETAILS: https://fb.me/e/QvJSHr5L
PETITION: https://chng.it/zYfZRLC7CF
Caz Dennett
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