Acceptable Levels of Impact
Any offshore project will bring about change to the environment. Before commencing the Offshore Project Proposal impact assessment, Shell conducted research, in consultation with stakeholders, to define an acceptable level of risk for each potential change. This sets the context for understanding risk and how management and mitigation strategies can be applied.
A key outcome of the Offshore Project Proposal process is to inform a conclusion as to whether the impacts and risks will be of an ‘acceptable’ or ‘unacceptable’ level.
Shell has defined levels of acceptable risk for each impact receptor specific to the Crux project.
This provides the context for understanding the nature and level of potential impacts and risks, and how mitigation strategies have been developed as a result. The summary of acceptable levels of impact / risk is provided in the table below.
Physical environment
| Receptor sub-category | Acceptable level of impact |
|---|---|
| Water quality | No significant impacts during the Crux project. |
| Sediment quality | No significant impacts during the Crux project. |
| Air quality | No significant impacts during the Crux project. |
Ecosystems, communities and habitats
| Receptor sub-category | Acceptable level of impact |
|---|---|
| Benthic communities | No significant impacts. |
| Impacts to non-sensitive benthic* communities limited to a maximum of 5% of the project area. | |
| *benthic | |
| Shoals and banks | No direct impacts to named shoals or banks. |
| No loss of benthic habitats and communities at named shoals and banks as a result of indirect / offsite impacts. | |
| Offshore reefs and islands | No impacts. |
| WA and NT mainland coastline | No impacts. |
| Key Ecological Features (KEFS) | No significant impacts. |
Threatened species and ecological communities
| Receptor sub-category | Acceptable level of impact |
|---|---|
| Marine mammals | No significant impacts or mortality of threatened or migratory matters of national environmental significant fauna from the Crux project. |
| Management plans must be aligned with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat-abatement plans. | |
| Marine reptiles | No significant impacts or mortality of threatened or migratory matters of national environmental significant fauna from the Crux project. |
| Management plans must be aligned with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat-abatement plans. | |
| Birds | No significant impacts or mortality of threatened or migratory matters of national environmental significant fauna from the Crux project. |
| Management plans must be aligned with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat-abatement plans. | |
| Fish | No significant impacts or mortality of threatened or migratory matters of national environmental significant fauna from the Crux project. |
| Management plans must be aligned with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat-abatement plans. | |
| Sharks and rays | No significant impacts or mortality of threatened or migratory matters of national environmental significant fauna from the Crux project. |
| Management plans must be aligned with conservation advice, recovery plans and threat-abatement plans. |
Socio-economic and cultural environment
| Receptor sub-category | Acceptable level of impact |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth marine area | No significant impacts beyond 1 km from the Crux platform or drilling locations to the value of marine parks. |
| World heritage properties | No impacts. |
| National heritage places | No impacts. |
| Commonwealth heritage places | No impacts. |
| Declared Ramsar wetlands | No impacts to ecological values of Ramsar* wetlands. |
| *Ramsar | |
| Marine parks | No impacts. |
| Commercial fisheries | No negative impacts to resource stocks which result in a demonstrated direct loss of income. |
| Temporary displacement of commercial fishing activities within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones*) is acceptable. | |
| *petroleum safety zones | |
| Permanent exclusion of commercial fishing activities from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Traditional Indigenous fishing | No negative impacts to exploited fisheries resource stocks. |
| Temporary displacement of traditional fishing activities within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones) is acceptable. | |
| Permanent exclusion of traditional fishing activities from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Marine archaeology | No disturbance of historical shipwrecks is acceptable. |
| Tourism and recreation | No negative impacts to nature-based tourism resources resulting in demonstrated loss of income. |
| Temporary displacement of tourism activities within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones*) is acceptable. | |
| *petroleum safety zones | |
| Permanent exclusion of tourism activities from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Military / defence | Temporary displacement of defence activities within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones*) is acceptable. |
| *petroleum safety zones | |
| Permanent exclusion of defence activities from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Ports and commercial shipping | Temporary displacement of commercial shipping within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones*) is acceptable. |
| *petroleum safety zones | |
| Permanent exclusion of commercial shipping from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Offshore petroleum exploration and operations | Temporary displacement of petroleum exploration activities and operations within the Crux project area (excluding petroleum safety zones*) is acceptable. |
| *petroleum safety zones | |
| Permanent exclusion of petroleum exploration activities and operations from gazetted petroleum exclusion zones* is acceptable. | |
| *gazetted petroleum exclusion zones | |
| Indonesian and Timor-Leste coastlines | No impacts. |
How Shell developed these levels
The levels of acceptable impact / risk were developed using:
- The principles of ecologically sustainable development.
- Other laws, policies, standards, and conventions that related to the Crux project, including significant impacts guidelines for matters of national environmental significance.
- Adherence to Shell’s own existing policies and frameworks
- Information provided by stakeholders during the preparation of the Crux OPP.
For the full details on how these levels of acceptable impact and risk were developed, and the rationale for each category view the full Offshore Project Proposal, Section 7, page 263.
Shell has identified relevant environmental performance outcomes to ensure the impacts and risks relevant to the Crux project will be managed to an acceptable level. You can view a summary of the measurable outcomes in the full Offshore Project Proposal, Section 7.2, page 268.
Shell is committed to considering the feedback provided through the Offshore Project Proposal public comment period, for incorporation into the final document which will be submitted to NOPSEMA.
