The Need for Stakeholders' Consensus on Decommissioning Option(S): An Examination of Ghana's Petroleum Policy Framework

Abstract

The environment and economic development have been viewed as inseparable challenges in current times. The petroleum industry can be categorized into three energy markets- the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. At all the stages, the marine environment stands at risk of pollution. Pollution from offshore petroleum installations at the end of its productive and economic years cannot be underestimated. The global community is approaching a decommissioning crisis since the world's offshore petroleum installations are ageing. There are various decommissioning options which lie between ‘the extremes of complete removal and leave in place'. Undeniably, Ghana is at its infancy when it comes to decommissioning.  The main aim of this paper is to advocate the need for stakeholders' consensus on sustainable decommissioning option(s) by analysing Ghana's legal and environmental regime on decommissioning. The research in Ghana concerning petroleum industry has been focused on government revenues, local employment opportunities in a growing sector, stimulated demand for local goods etc. The consensus of stakeholders on decommissioning option has become more prominent in the face of the current discourse on decommissioning the Saltpond Oil field, the premier oil producing field in Ghana which was discovered in 1970. There is the need for policymakers to analyse the current legal and environmental regime in light of environmentally friendly decommissioning option(s) practiced in other selected jurisdictions.