Flaring in the UK North Sea fell by 22% in 2020 from the previous year as production facilities cut the overall volume to 33 Bcf, a reduction that is roughly equivalent to the gas demand of 200,000 UK homes. The level of flaring is also the lowest recorded by the UK’s Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) on the UK continental shelf.
Flaring intensity, the measure of how much gas was flared per unit of oil produced, also decreased from 114 scf/bbl of oil to 95 scf/bbl in 2020, a 10-year low. This measure has now fallen for three consecutive years, dropping from 128 scf/bbl in 2017.
“While there is more work needed from industry and the OGA, the flaring figures in particular are encouraging and show that clear focus can make a significant impact,” said Hedvig Ljungerud, the OGA’s director of strategy.
The reductions follow increased focus by the OGA, which started benchmarking performance in 2020 and now also publishes data every month. The OGA issues the consents for flaring and venting of gas and is closely scrutinizing requests from operators, in both existing production and new field-development plans.
Reasons for the cut—which saw a year-on-year fall in every month—vary from field to field but include increasing use of flare-reduction technology on some platforms and fewer planned shutdowns, making 2020 a particularly low flaring year. A flare gas recovery unit on one platform has cut out routine flaring and reduced the volume of flared gas by approximately 60% in a year.
In 2020, the industry’s trade association, Oil and Gas UK (OGUK), published Pathway to a Net-Zero Basin: Production Emissions Targets, in which it set a target of halving all emissions by 2030, including from flaring and venting. OGUK has said it plans to release a Methane Action Plan later this year. In addition, the UK government’s Energy White Paper, published in December 2020, committed to the World Bank’s “Zero Routine Flaring by 2030” initiative and further pledged to work with regulators to eliminate the practice as soon as possible ahead of that date.
The OGA has revised its strategyrequiring industry to operate in a way consistent with net-zero ambitions, lowering production emissions and making serious progress on the solutions that can contribute to the UK reaching net zero. It also said it is preparing to publish updated guidance for the industry that will set out the revised regulatory approach to flaring and venting and changes to the consenting and reporting regime.
Vented gas offshore represents approximately 0.15% of total UK greenhouse-gas emissions. Venting, which fell significantly from 2018 to 2019, was a more mixed picture in 2020. In 2020, 3.6 Bcf of gases were vented, an increase of 0.42 Bcf. Within that total, venting of methane—which has a high atmospheric warming potential—decreased by 0.07 Bcf in 2020 to 0.79 Bcf, but venting of CO2 (and other nonhydrocarbon gas) increased by 0.49 Bcf to 2.8 Bcf. The OGA has said it is aware of the sources of this increase and is taking steps to address them at the source, including with the relevant parties.
“The OGA is supporting and holding industry to account to reduce emissions and will soon be publishing net-zero expectations, which set out how every stage of operations must demonstrate a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases,” Ljungerud said. “We will continue monitoring closely and reflect that in decision-making when operators apply for consents and authorizations for flaring and venting."