Publications

Indonesia has so far not implemented comprehensive legislation regarding soil and groundwater protection or contamination. Recently however regulations partly addressing soil and groundwater impacts (mostly related to hazardous waste or hydrocarbon releases) have been introduced and more comprehensive legislation (including soil and groundwater quality standards) is in preparation. Environmental liabilities of oil & gas projects, whether upstream, midstream or downstream activities are in the first place related to soil and groundwater impacts. In the absence of a strong regulatory framework these impacts normally only become a problem when neighbouring communities complain (e.g. about the groundwater quality). However, since currently a number of oil & gas companies are relinquishing their assets in Indonesia, the impacts to soil and groundwater of waste management and operational releases that have occurred over the last decades may become an important factor in the balance sheet for the handover of these facilities. Remedial approaches have been predominantly excavation and direct disposal to offsite facilities, this paper presents alternative options the applicability of which depend on chemicals of concern and target contaminant clean-up levels, factors that often dictate each option's viability and feasibility. This presentation provides an overview of how these liabilities can be systematically addressed and managed to reduce them and of remediation techniques available for clean-up (and the associated unit cost ranges ), especially of sites contaminated with hydrocarbons. The approach mentioned is based on international standards (such as ASTM, US EPA and DIV standards), but also draws the comparison with the requirements of the emerging Indonesian regulations (such as the SSPLT or clean soil certificate).