UK oil and gas industry continues downward trend in discharges and emissions

The trend is said to reflect the decline of UK oil and gas production together with effective process management and industry’s use of best available techniques, says Oil & Gas UK’s Environment Report 2016.

The report contains data reported to industry’s regulators and addresses the sector’s environmental performance to the end of 2015.

Last year industry had its first increase in production in 15 years, and the extraction of more oil and gas resulted in a slight rise in 2015 in the mass of production chemicals discharged and produced water volumes, as well as in emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide. According to the report, the proportion of the rise was not as great as the production upturn itself.

The average oil in water concentration in produced water last year was less than half of the recommended limit set by the OSPAR Commission. Similarly, 2015 saw the smallest mass on record of accidental oil released to the sea. With 82 million tonnes of oil equivalent produced in 2015, accidental oil releases represented less than 0.00002 per cent of total oil production.