University of Basra Organizes Course on Environmental Assessment of Oil and Gas Projects

The Marine Sciences Center at the University of Basra organized a course titled “Environmental Assessment of Oil and Gas Projects”

The course aimed to enable participants to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for exploration, production, and processing projects in the oil and gas sector, ensuring compliance with national and international environmental standards and minimizing negative impacts on ecosystems and local communities.

The course, presented by Dr. Zainab Joda Musa and Dr. Lamis Qasim, covered the definition of environmental assessment and its types (strategic, preliminary, and detailed), as well as the legal framework and local and international legislation (such as World Bank and IFC standards), while identifying critical environmental activities during the stages of seismic surveying, well drilling, construction, operation, maintenance, and final decommissioning. It also covered the identification of potential environmental impacts such as oil spills, gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄, H₂S), gas flaring, noise, vibrations, and the management of associated water and rock cuttings, along with an introduction to assessment methodologies using checklists, interaction matrices (such as the Leopold matrix), and environmental modeling to predict pollutant dispersion; how to develop an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and establish mitigation, monitoring, and review procedures; emergency plans (firefighting and spill response); and post-closure rehabilitation, with an emphasis on consultation mechanisms with affected communities, the study of social and economic impacts, and complaint management.