Environmental effects

A limited number of KEM projects concern environmental risks. These projects aim at developing better scientific insights for better subsidence hazard and risk assessment instruments and risk management practices.

In figure at the bottom of this page, KEM research (project numbers) can be found and their focus on, being source, path or impact, of subsidence risks.

The research questions, project deliverables and the evaluation of each finished project can be found under KEM projects. The research questions not (yet) addresed can be found under KEM research questions.

There are generally applicable and publicly available reservoir and hydrogeological models for analysing fluid flow. Specific environmental damage and safety risks tools exist to some extent, but are only used to a limited extent to assess the effects of fluid migration after the end of mining operations.

Risk models and risk-based design protocols are available for drilling, wells, installations and pipelines; management of operational fluid pressure risks is common practice. However, there are only a limited number of models publicly available or prescribed that can be used to assess or predict the integrity of mining infrastructure during construction, operation and abandonment. Expert judgement and studies are common practice here.

Leakage monitoring from facilities is standard practice for operators, including incident alerting and reporting.

There is limited guidance available for environmental monitoring of fluid migration from reservoirs or caverns.

There are developments ongoing in long-term environmentally monitoring of wells, as ca be concluded from SodM messages..