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Summary
The aspects and impacts of the oil and gas exploration and production activity are managed and have a direct effect on production costs. Waste generation is one of the main aspects, requires the implementation of risk management plan and is under the control of several regulatory agencies (Energy, Environment, Radiological Protection, Health).
Presently, Brazil does not have a national strategy for disposal of oil and gas originated NORM wastes. The adversities faced by the oil and gas producers in Brazil with the generation of NORM waste dates back to the 1990s, and Brazilian experience demonstrates that companies' search for an individualized solution has not achieved a continuous and comprehensive result for proper NORM management.
The Brazilian Institute for Oil, Gas and Biofuels (IBP) is a representative of this industrial sector and promotes technical commissions – spaces for networking, generation of knowledge and collaborative actions between representatives of all segments involved. The technical commissions also provide inputs for publications and standards and help to identify the main challenges of the energy industry. The effort to integrate common demands and propose joint solutions through technical commissions is a well-established practice for O&G operators and previous experiences have obtained very satisfactory results in other fields of work.
Considering the current legislative scenario regarding NORM and the success of previous ventures via IBP, O&G industry created and conducted throughout 2019 a specific technical group to discuss the Brazilian experience on NORM management. One of the main deliveries of the group was the publication of a NORM management best practices guide, elaborated altogether with operators and with direct collaboration of the Brazilian Nuclear Energy National Commission (CNEN), and environmental and labor authorities.
The publication covers topics on procedures for correct occupational protection of workers and the public on producing O&G facilities during regular operations and maintenance activities, but also for properly managing the material as a waste. An immediate positive outcome was the incentive of interaction between the various stakeholders involved – operators, local authorities and related supply chain – which provides the maturation of knowledge and interactions between the parts.
This paper will show the methodology used in the discussions that elaborated the common diagnostic of problems, the practices adopted by each company, the supervisory role of the Regulatory and the result as a practice guide.
