Progressive award

The 2008 winner: How green is the valley now

We believe in the principle of mutual advantage and build productive relationships with each other, our partners and our customers.

The 2008 winner

Team:
How green is the valley now - landarcy's journey from refinery to urban village

Business:
Remediation Management

Country:
UK

Management summary

What do Prince Charles, BP's oldest UK refinery and a progressive urban village have in common? When Llandarcy refinery closed in 1998 it was clear that a key objective of our future plans must be to minimize BP’s environmental impact following 72 years of operations. Ten years later, the transformation of the site into an urban village is beginning...

Challenge

The closure of Llandarcy, BP’s oldest UK refinery, in 1998 resulted in substantial job losses in an economically depressed area. The site had been contaminated over the years so BP was required to undertake expensive, lengthy, environmental clean-up. The scale of any brown-field development to return the land to beneficial use for the local community would be unprecedented in Europe.

Solution

In 2000, Remediation Management started working with local stakeholders to find a use for the site. It was decided to create a new urban village, complete with housing, schools, business opportunities, and wildlife protection zones. Although ambitious and challenging, this solution offered the best long-term benefits to the community.

BP joined forces with the Welsh Assembly Government and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, and received Royal approval from the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment. Working together, these parties overcame huge hurdles: finding progressive solutions to planning, financial, risk and environmental remediation challenges.

The deal to construct the urban village was signed in May 2008, and BP handed all environmental responsibilities over to St Modwen plc the appointed developer.

Benefits

This is a groundbreaking deal. The developer will deliver 4,000 eco-excellent homes, businesses and schools, an estimated $260million of benefits to the local community, rejuvenated natural wildlife and a beautiful addition to the green valleys of Wales. The inventive legal structure protects BP from future risk whilst reducing its liabilities, for a much lower cost than was thought possible. Results surpassed expectations and have put in place mechanisms BP can use on similar future projects.

The 2007 winner

Team: A new dawn – Angola’s outstanding technician development programme

Business segment: Exploration & Production

Country: Angola

Since launch, BP Angola has hired 165 technicians. Trainees develop their skills at BP operations around the world, across businesses, and have gained enormous respect from their peers and trainers. The 48 current graduates are working alongside experienced operational staff, fulfilling competent technician roles operating and maintaining one of BP's biggest and most complex deepwater production installations.

Watch a film of the 2007 winner's story