Major waste management projects in Ecuador taken on by Lamor

Challenge

Lamor has been working in Ecuador for many years, specifically in the Orellana Province, where we manage drill cuttings and other environmental liabilities resulting from the oil and gas industry.

Our services include transporting, treating, and disposing of materials derived from oil drilling activities. As this material is often contaminated by heavy metals and hydrocarbons, we take extra care in our management to ensure the protection of the environment.

Solution

Ecuador has a well-developed oil and gas industry, which adheres strictly to environmental regulations. Thankfully, these regulations have significantly improved over the past few decades, and now the government requires companies to clean up old waste. Lamor was responsible for handling the contaminated sites from the past and present, including the cleanup of new drill cuttings.

We tailor our remediation efforts to the unique characteristics of the materials we encounter. Treating old contamination can be a challenging task, as it involves a complex mixture of soil and other man-made materials.

To ensure compliance with both local and international standards, we conduct a thorough analysis of the materials and closely monitor its journey throughout the entire remediation process. The material is managed using various technologies. These include physical, chemical, and biological processes, to remove hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Once the soil is successfully treated and meets the required standards, it is repurposed whenever feasible, such as for construction or revegetation projects within the treatment center.

“We have successfully treated drill cuttings and environmental liabilities in many places in South America and we have global experience in helping to protect sensitive natural environments”, says Francisco Tapia, Service Commercial Manager at Lamor.

Impact

We take great care when transporting hazardous materials from the remote jungle drilling site to the treatment center 25-30 kilometers away. To ensure safety, we collaborate closely with local partners and authorities to establish an incident management system for the transportation route.

Needless to say, our main priority is to prevent accidents from happening, but in the event of an unforeseen incident, we’re fully prepared to act immediately to minimize any potential impact.

95% of the project's personnel and materials come from the surrounding area. Consequently, involving local communities is another top priority for our remediation project in Orellana Province. This project also affects local people’s homes and environment so we engage with them at all stages of the remediation process.