National remediation services project – Major petroleum refiner/retailerCASE STUDY

Industrial Environmental Services, in conjunction with one of Australia’s leading environmental consultants, was awarded the Underground Petroleum Storage Systems exhumation portfolio of works for a major petroleum refiner/retailer. The project consisted of coordination and safe execution of the decommissioning and exhumation of 32 tanks, varying in size from 5kL – 70kL, across sites in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia.

The first stage of delivery involved decommissioning and exhumation of existing UPSS and fuel infrastructure at six redundant retail centres. Our approach for this program of works, as with most, was designed to minimise remediation requirements, maximising site time through technical innovations, teamwork, pre-planning, and local council and stakeholder engagement.

During exploratory excavations, our teams discovered three previously decommissioned underground storage tanks, which contained cement stabilised sand. Complications associated with orphaned tanks include the potential for explosive environments. This was addressed by implementing our cold cutting hydraulic shear technique, a minimal ignition risk methodology which safely processes the insitu UPSS using an excavator fitted with specialised shearing attachment. Although this unforeseen scope had the real potential to impact both the works program timing and budget, our flexibility and cooperation with the environmental consultant allowed the site personnel to deliver the project in a safe, timely manner, maintaining the client’s prime objectives.

IES has a thorough understanding of the petroleum industry and its project drivers, including the need to optimise return on land following decommissioning and remediation. We also have an excellent understanding of physical environment, optimising on local industry contacts and resources. This has enabled us to develop an approach that maximises commercial returns and minimises cost uncertainties and risks.

Our comprehensive project understanding, front-end and ongoing strategic planning, coupled with clearly-defined and well understood project priorities, tasks and responsibilities, were key to our success. This project presented the unique challenges of multiple sites separated across a large geographic area, requiring expedited completion within 62 working days at a fixed cost.

The sites were delivered within the scheduled timeframe and completed within the agreed budget.