14 Energy Transitions and Environmental Protection …
441
Section 15 of the Act states that: the Council of Ministers may, in
consultation with the Ministry, open an area for petroleum activities
after a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is carried out and a
determination made by the Council of Ministers to open the area under
Section 59 of the Act.
28 The Act defines SEA as a formalized, systematic
and comprehensive process of evaluating a policy, plan and programme
and its alternatives, including the preparation of a written report on the
findings of that evaluation.
The above notwithstanding, we note that the environmental provisions in the Act have not been effectively implemented as expected.
Some of these provisions include having a detailed decommissioning
plan, undertaking proper Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). As
a result, the government does not have a baseline for evaluating the rate
of pollution in the oil-rich areas of South Sudan. Oil and gas exploration
and production have caused adverse impacts on the environment since
the beginning of the exploration in the 1980s. The government of Sudan
and South Sudan, respectively, did not effectively manage the activities
of the oil and gas as indicated in the laws because the country was in the
war.
Sudan government had the sole monopoly of the oil and gas industry,
extracting most of it from southern fields but did very little to care
for the environment. Worst of all, since South Sudan gained independence, nothing much has changed. The environment has been wasted
and destroyed due to damage from oil and gas production activities. The
livelihoods of the people in the great Upper Nile Region of South Sudan
have been exposed to environmental damage and risks.
On the other hand, the continued armed conflict in South Sudan
has worsened the environmental conditions as some oilfields have been
abandoned without cleaning of leakage and spills.
28 Section 59 of the South Sudan Petroleum Act, 2012.
441
Section 15 of the Act states that: the Council of Ministers may, in
consultation with the Ministry, open an area for petroleum activities
after a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) is carried out and a
determination made by the Council of Ministers to open the area under
Section 59 of the Act.
28 The Act defines SEA as a formalized, systematic
and comprehensive process of evaluating a policy, plan and programme
and its alternatives, including the preparation of a written report on the
findings of that evaluation.
The above notwithstanding, we note that the environmental provisions in the Act have not been effectively implemented as expected.
Some of these provisions include having a detailed decommissioning
plan, undertaking proper Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). As
a result, the government does not have a baseline for evaluating the rate
of pollution in the oil-rich areas of South Sudan. Oil and gas exploration
and production have caused adverse impacts on the environment since
the beginning of the exploration in the 1980s. The government of Sudan
and South Sudan, respectively, did not effectively manage the activities
of the oil and gas as indicated in the laws because the country was in the
war.
Sudan government had the sole monopoly of the oil and gas industry,
extracting most of it from southern fields but did very little to care
for the environment. Worst of all, since South Sudan gained independence, nothing much has changed. The environment has been wasted
and destroyed due to damage from oil and gas production activities. The
livelihoods of the people in the great Upper Nile Region of South Sudan
have been exposed to environmental damage and risks.
On the other hand, the continued armed conflict in South Sudan
has worsened the environmental conditions as some oilfields have been
abandoned without cleaning of leakage and spills.
28 Section 59 of the South Sudan Petroleum Act, 2012.