By Feona Morrison 

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is utilising NASA’s satellite and Maxar Technologies to enhance the monitoring and regulation of oil operations offshore Guyana.

During his appearance on a recent episode of the Energy Perspectives Podcast, EPA’s Head, Khemraj Parsram said that this innovative partnership aims to leverage cutting-edge satellite technology for remote monitoring, as well as enhance its capacity to oversee the nation’s rapidly growing oil and gas sector.

He emphasised that NASA’s satellite capabilities, combined with Maxar Technologies’ high-resolution Earth imagery, are providing the EPA with unprecedented access to real-time data on operations in the Stabroek Block.

This includes monitoring oil-and-gas drilling activities, gas flaring, and detecting potential environmental hazards such as oil spills. With a 45 per cent stake, ExxonMobil (Guyana) is the operator of the Stabroek Block. Hess Guyana Exploration Limited holds 30 per cent while the remaining 25 per cent is held by CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited.
There are currently three Floating, Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) vessels in the Stabroek Block: Liza Destiny, Liza Unity, and Prosperity.

Each FPSO has sensors, which are the operator’s responsibility, according to the EPA Head.
“They measure, for example, the concentration of oil in produced water that is being discharged. We have a live platform at the EPA where we can actually see, minute by minute, the concentration of oil in produced water. We can see flaring, for example… how much gas is flared when they are allowed to flare…” the EPA Director explained.

It was made explicit by Parsram that routine flaring is strictly prohibited, but flaring is permissible within defined limits for safety reasons in case of an “upset condition” or during the evaluation of new equipment. In the event that there is flaring beyond the designated timelines, the company is obligated to cover the cost of emitting carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) at a rate of US$50 per tonne of CO2e.

“We have NASA Worldview that actually gives us flare or heat sensors globally, but we focus on Guyana. So, when we see that they are flaring and they report x amount of gas flared, we can look at our satellite and calculate the volume flared.  We have been doing that and they’re correlating.”
With Maxar Technologies, he said: “We have the capability of tasking the satellite, and what that means is if there is an event… we get an alert that there is a spill, we can request that satellite to go over that location and see what is actually going on from a bird’s-eye view. And then [we can] assess and determine using our formula and what’s not…and calculate the volume spilled and look at the trajectory and what type of action is necessary.”

Meanwhile, several days ago, the EPA launched a third remote water-quality sensor so that it can continuously monitor water quality in real time, providing a more comprehensive and accurate picture of environmental conditions.

Parsram stated: “Within our key surface water and offshore as well, the plan is to put these sensors that measure the water quality to measure the pollutants in our surface water, in the rivers.  And at our offices or on our mobile phones, we can actually see real time what is the quality of those parameters. For example, turbidity, temperature, PH, total dissolved solids—these are key parameters that indicate the health of our waters, our rivers, our lakes… or whatever they are.”
According to him, the government’s $100 million financing for 2022-2023 enabled the acquisition of these technologies. Since there are presently water-quality sensors in place at Bartica, the Demerara River, and Saxacalli, the Head of the EPA has declared that preparations are underway to deploy sensors at the Kaieteur National Park, Iwokrama, and Saxacalli.

The number of employees at the EPA has increased significantly from around 80 in 2019 to 172 currently. They include engineers, lawyers, biologists, chemists, and other professionals.
Parsram acknowledged that the agency continuously improves the expertise of its employees to meet the needs of various industries, including forestry, mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, and agriculture.

He expressed: “I am proud of the men and women that [sic] get up everyday and come to work and ensure that the environment is protected, especially with the increasing development that we have currently. So, kudos to them!”