An integrated assessment of environmental impact and sustainability of oil refinery development and operations in a developing country

: a case study of Kaduna refinery in Nigeria

Abstract

Environmental Impact assessment (EIA) is one of the environmental planning tools undertaken by developing countries to avert environmental degradation and ecological problems. Sustainability assessment is a vital tool for measuring the aspects of environmental, economic, or social systems that is useful for monitoring environmental changes. The study aims to develop an integrated approach to enhance understanding of sustainability in oil refinery development and operations in a developing country, using a case study of the Kaduna refinery, Nigeria. The study considered the sustainability indicators for the assessment; environmental, economic, and social. The literature review explored the possibility of an integrated environmental impact and sustainability assessment based on the contributions of other researchers. Questionnaires were administered to the residents affected by the operations of the refinery; a focus group discussion was also conducted across the host communities. Operations staffs of the refinery were interviewed to seek information on any available pollution monitoring/control measures within the refinery and its environment. However, findings from the study revealed that there was a significant positive impact with the economic and social indicators, and negative impact with the environmental indicators. The study adopted and applied “The Sustainable Infrastructure, Land-use, Environment and Transport Model (SILENT)” by Dur and Yigitcanlar (2010) with modifications to suit the aim and objectives of the study. The study provided a framework to support stakeholders’ understanding of sustainability issues through the life cycle of the development of the oil refineries. The framework was developed by modifying the existing SILENT model to suit the Nigerian situation based on the available data. The framework will help to assess and communicate temporal and spatial aspects of sustainability which consists of two parts; temporal variations from the analysis chapter and the spatial and temporal variations produced in the GIS maps in the framework. The framework can also be applied in other developing countries with similar characteristics to that of Nigeria.

Date of Award	18 Jun 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Abertay University
Sponsors	Petroleum Technology Development Fund
Supervisor	David Blackwood (Supervisor) & Daniel Gilmour (Supervisor)