Pipeline in a tunnel in Greece
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Letter: Could existing Poole oil pipeline be reused for new Solent CO2 project? (updated)

OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.

This from Thomas Cowley, West Wight. Ed


One of the joys of being a parish councillor is getting to listen to the wealth of information that our parishioners bring to council meetings. 

Last night was such an occasion:  Yarmouth Town Council were discussing the developing situation around the Solent CO2 pipeline that Exxon are proposing to open trench across our region.  This will leave a 50m wide scar across the Isle of Wight and through the New Forest.

Existing Perenco pipeline
During the discussion, one of our parishioners said his biggest concern was that Exxon weren’t considering re-using the Perenco pipeline that runs directly from Fawley down to Furzey Island, in Poole Harbour.  He understands this pipeline has recently been pigged (internally cleaned) and is a pipeline that’s been used for about 30 years to pump out oil from the Wytch Farm oilfield.

The existence of his pipeline was not something I had been aware of prior to the meeting.

Perenco pipeline being wound down
After the meeting, I thought I should find out some more about this pipeline.  It turns out that oil production in the Poole area is being wound down, which will mean it appears the Perenco oil pipeline will be redundant and unused infrastructure, in about four years.  This article gives more detail on that.

As anyone who has attended Exxon’s public meetings around the proposed pipeline routes will know, Exxon are keen to impress upon attendees that the technology that will be used in the CO2 pipeline is very well established and is the same as used in virtually every other oil and gas pipeline around the world.

60 year lifetime
At the last online meeting for Parish Councils Exxon also explained that pipelines have a life of at least 60 years.

So, to summarise:

  • There is a pipeline in the ground already, for the vast majority of the on-land route that is necessary to transport the CO2 to the proposed injection site
  • The pipeline has been used for less than 50% of its design life
  • The pipeline is going to be redundant and out of use within 5 years
  • The easements and wayleaves are all already established and it’s possible no digging is necessary
  • If the existing pipeline does need to be replaced, the easements and wayleaves are already in place to facilitate that work

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
In a world of finite resources, internationally agreed, challenging climate change mitigation commitments and tough economic conditions, there are three things everybody and all organisations can do to help our world:

  • Reduce
  • Reuse
  • Recycle

By negotiating  access to, or ownership of this pipeline with Perenco, Exxon can vastly reduce the amount of construction needed.  It can reduce the impact on precious and irreplaceable environments on the Island and in the New Forest National Park.

By negotiating with Perenco Exxon can reuse this existing pipeline.

That pipeline can be recycled from being used to transport oil out of the ground from the Wytch Farm oilfield, to deliver CO2 to the new injection site off the south west coast of the Isle of Wight.

Work with Perenco
Maybe Exxon haven’t considered this asset, as it’s not one they own?

It may be they can give the public 50 reasons they still want to trench a new private asset across other people’s land in the New Forest and on the Isle of Wight.  There are far more reasons not to decimate precious habitats owned and cared for by others.  There are far more reasons not to disrupt and blight thousands of people’s lives.

Exxon just has to make an effort to work with another private company to reuse existing infrastructure.

It’s the right thing to do
So, please Exxon: think outside your own corporate world.  Collaborate with Perenco to reuse existing infrastructure and vastly reduce the environmental impact and CO2 emissions of getting a pipeline out to the proposed CO2 injection site.

Please Exxon, don’t invest PR money telling us why you cannot do this.  Invest research and legal money in establishing how you can. 

It’s what virtually everyone who is having their lives blighted by being on one of the proposed routes wants you to do.  It’s the right thing to do commercially, for your shareholders and for the good of the environment.


OnTheWight has contacted the Solent CO2 Pipeline project team and asked what would stop them using the existing Perenco pipeline. We’ll update readers once we hear back. Ed

Article edit
11.30am 2nd Oct 2024 – Reference to asking Exxon a question added

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ian123
13, February 2025 9:09 am

As I said beneath an earlier story, there is so little scope for discretion in local government budgeting nowadays – mostly it’s mandatory spending, largely on social care, with the discretionary areas all cut to the bone and running on a shoestring – that it’s a challenge for opposition parties to find an excuse to vote against the budget and get a story into the media suggesting… Read more »

VentnorLad
13, February 2025 9:15 am

Rather than publicly squabbling in the press about budgets and reserves and other such accounting detail, is it too much to ask that our various elected representatives work collaboratively to solve the problems encountered by residents on a daily basis? No Phil, we’re not “keen to understand that reserves have actually gone up since 2021 by £7m”. We’re keen to understand when social housing will be available… Read more »

peterspink10
Reply to  VentnorLad
13, February 2025 10:00 am

I very much hope, Ventnor Lad, that the transition to a committee system this May will reduce the political squabbling at the council.

drone
Reply to  peterspink10
13, February 2025 11:16 am

Until there is time where there is no politics in local government, there will never be an end to the squabbling. I have sat in the public gallery at many a council meetings and been taken back to the school playground on many occasions. In my view, many of the ‘political’ councillors seem to suffer from ‘big fish in a little pond’ syndrome. Despite the efforts of… Read more »

Benny C
Reply to  drone
13, February 2025 8:06 pm

Little fish, big pond. Evidence led observation.

GerryO
Reply to  VentnorLad
13, February 2025 1:43 pm

Not disregarding you concerns but surely opportunities to present correct misinformation should be taken?
Recent study at Uni of Amsterdam shows it’s a tool of far right.
I’d rather have “facts” corrected so I am better informed.
Lies are half way around the world before the truth has it’s trousers on..

https://www.uva.nl/shared-content/uva/en/news/news/2025/01/radical-right-populists-deliberately-undermining-democracy-with-misinformation.html?cb

VentnorLad
Reply to  GerryO
13, February 2025 6:48 pm

You’re quite right that fallacious misinformation should be corrected at the earliest opportunity. My point is that if politicians of all persuasions were to act with the honesty and integrity required of them (Standards in Public Life or Nolan Principles) at all times they wouldn’t need to engage in this endless, pointless and wasteful political game of claim and counter claim. They could instead just get on… Read more »

Benny C
Reply to  VentnorLad
13, February 2025 8:10 pm

Fair points well made, unfortunately perhaps rather too idealistic and clearly beyond the scope of some current incumbents who in the round we all voted for. I guess if you’ve no chance of power, acting like Liz Truss is a sort of vindictive sport. How on earth anyone conscience can live with their inane and irresponsible behaviour, played out in public (!) is beyond me, to call… Read more »

drone
13, February 2025 9:36 am

Glad to see the ridiculous claims made by the Conservatives being challenged on here.

tyke
13, February 2025 6:27 pm

Aren’t ‘earmarked reserves’ monies set aside against a known cost but not yet spent – in other words not able to be spent on any other purpose. What matter to most people are the reserves held by the council to meet any unforeseen expenditure that arises, such as the the Leeson Road landslip. Is it not the case that these reserves have indeed been reduced? In other… Read more »

drone
Reply to  tyke
13, February 2025 6:43 pm

As I understand it, General Reserves are down from the 2021 figure by a couple of million, but as has been reported widely on the Island over the past three years, there have been unprecedented increased costs and rising demand in adult and children’s social care. The ‘bickering’ is over the fact the Tories claimed the Alliance had “frittered away” almost all of the £117m reserves, when… Read more »

tyke
Reply to  drone
13, February 2025 7:17 pm

Thanks drone.
But is it not true that the amount of reserves over which the council has control – ie the ‘rainy day fund’ has gone down under the Alliance?
I’m not trying to be partisan – it appears to be both a stupid attack line and a disingenuous response. Schrödinger’s Reserves.

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