The primary challenge was to complete a subsurface site-specific risk assessment as mandated by Directive 065: Resource Applications for Oil and Gas Reservoirs and Carbon Sequestration Projects. This assessment was critical during the early stages of a carbon sequestration project, as it informed site characterization, scheduling, data collection, and the measurement, monitoring, and verification plan (MMV). The complexity lay in accurately identifying and assessing risks, ensuring that all potential hazards were accounted for and appropriately mitigated.
To address this challenge, we facilitated a series of workshops to systematically identify and review subsurface risks. The process involved coordinated lead meetings with management, technical discussions with both internal and external experts, and a risk workshop for ranking scenarios based on severity and likelihood. Each identified risk was thoroughly reviewed for possible mitigation options, with a subsequent assessment of how these mitigations could reduce the risk ranking. The culmination of this process was a final management discussion to finalize the risk mitigation list within the registry.
The value of McDaniel's approach was multifaceted. By incorporating external experts, the project benefited from unbiased perspectives, enhancing the reliability and comprehensiveness of risk assessments. This collaboration with internal engineering and subsurface teams broadened the range of views on reasonable risk rankings, mitigations, and solutions. Moreover, involving management teams and internal groups helped in understanding complex risk issues, underscoring the importance of data collection in risk mitigation and reduction. The outcome was not just a comprehensive risk register and summary report presentation, but also a deeper, shared understanding among all stakeholders of the risks and mitigation strategies in carbon sequestration projects.
