The UK Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) has issued consolidated and updated guidance on flaring and venting, which it says sets out a tougher approach to driving reductions.
The OGA said this approach is supported by updated reporting and disclosure, such as the OGA’s upcoming emissions report, the use of flaring and venting benchmarking, and monthly data published through the OGA Open Data Portal.
This new guidance replaces and consolidates three earlier documents, the OGA highlighted. It has been revised following the publication of the OGA Strategy, which came into force earlier this year and requires the industry to support the UK’s net zero target, including by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as flaring and venting.
According to the OGA, flaring is responsible for a fifth of UK offshore oil and gas production related carbon dioxide emissions and one percent of total UK annual CO2 emissions, and vented gas offshore represents about 0.15 percent of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, including around one percent of total UK annual methane emissions.
The OGA defines venting as the discharging of gases into the atmosphere. Flaring is burning the gases before they are discharged, the OGA notes. Some flaring and venting is necessary for safe and efficient production but the volume of this can be reduced, the OGA outlines.
“We are committed to driving down greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector, both supporting and holding industry to account in reaching its target to become a net zero basin by 2050,” Hedvig Ljungerud, the OGA’s director of strategy, said in an organization statement.
“[This] publication marks another step on that path, with a clear focus, including new developments to be planned on the basis of zero routine flaring and venting. We will monitor actual outcomes closely and reflect in decision making when operators apply for consents and authorizations,” the OGA representative went on to say.
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