The Pearl project in Qatar includes construction of the world’s largest gas to liquids (GTL) plant and development of part of a large offshore natural gas field.
Pearl GTL is expected to produce 140,000 barrels per day of GTL products: low sulphur fuels, high quality baseoils for making lubricants and chemical feedstocks. It is also expected to produce 120,000 barrels per day of natural gas liquids and ethane.
The project is 100% funded by Shell under a development and production-sharing agreement with the Government of Qatar. Construction began in 2006 and is expected to be complete around the end of 2010.
This is one of our biggest integrated investments. With more than 40,000 workers, the GTL plant is also one of the largest construction projects in the world at present.
Sustainable development has been part of the project from the start.
We put a dedicated sustainable development advisor in place early on. The project team brought hands-on experience from other big projects, like the Malampaya offshore gas project in the Philippines and Sakhalin II in Russia. This helped ensure that environmental and social factors were considered when decisions about the technical design and commercial conditions for the project were being made.
The main sustainability issues and opportunities for the project were identified in the environmental, social and health impact assessment completed during the design phase. They included energy efficiency (and hence CO2 emissions), water use, the safety and welfare of construction workers and knowledge building in Qatar.
ENERGY AND WATER
The plant’s design includes a number of energy-saving features. For example, waste steam will be used to power compressors in the air separation unit and to generate some of the plant’s electricity. We are continuing to look for ways to further lower energy use and CO2 emissions.
The GTL plant will produce at least as much water as GTL products, mainly through the chemical reaction that is the first step in turning the natural gas into GTL products. The water will be purified to such a high level that it can be reused by the plant, for example for steam and cooling water. As a result, the plant will take no fresh water from this largely arid region.
WORKER WELFARE
Our approach to worker welfare and safety was laid out in the project’s social performance plan. The plan includes concrete actions that address the project’s specific challenges in this area. One challenge is that most of the workforce is made up of temporary foreign workers, who are away from their families for long periods of time. So we designed Pearl Village, where most workers live, to be a community, not just a housing facility. There is a village mayor responsible for organising community events – over 80 a month – using the village soccer, cricket, baseball and basketball facilities, and the 750-seat outdoor cinema. More than 70 volunteer counsellors, supported by a psychologist, are available to address personal concerns and provide counselling to workers.
A second challenge is that the construction boom in the region has made it difficult to attract qualified workers. So before construction began, we sat down with the leaders of our contractor companies and together agreed on a common manifesto for worker welfare, training and safety. By mid-2009, these leaders had made four full-day visits to the site, to show their personal commitment to this manifesto and to underline the importance for them of their employees’ safety and well-being.
PROMOTING TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE IN QATAR
We have established a 10-year, $100 million research programme at the Qatar Science and Technology Park. Its work focuses on finding the best ways to use Qatar’s natural resources. At Qatar University we are funding an academic chair in sustainable development. We have also launched Intilaqaah, an Arabic version of Shell’s international LiveWIRE programme, to build young people’s business skills. We work closely with a committee that guides our approach to sustainable development in Qatar. It includes senior officials from Qatar Petroleum and Government ministries.
