OGUK outlines North Sea methane action plan

Oil and Gas UK (OGUK) has published its Methane Action Plan, designed to help the UK offshore sector reduce its methane emissions.

This is said to be one of the first key deliverables of the North Sea Transition Deal which the industry agreed on earlier this year with the UK government.

Offshore installations release methane emissions via flaring and venting during the production process. The plan details targets which include cutting UK offshore methane emissions by 50% from 2018 levels, committing to 0.20% methane intensity by 2025 and putting an end to all routine flaring by 2030.

Other key measures are:

• Asset MAP – each company and offshore installation to have in place a Methane Action Plan by 2023, including monitoring and measurement, flare and vent, and abatement proposals

• Installations to provide methane quantification validation where practicable by relevant measurements

• The industry to pursue alignment with international standards and reporting principles.

OGUK emissions improvement manager Thibaut Cheret said: “With this plan, the UK industry can contribute to keeping world temperature below the dangerous 2C mark, while producing the energy the UK will need for decades to come in a healthier way.

“Alongside our North Sea Transition Deal, which is fast-tracking a 60-million tonne reduction in the UK’s carbon dioxide, we are an industry leading the way in the energy transition.

“We hope to see companies and other industries around the world adopting a similar approach, developing their own comprehensive guidelines to accelerate the drive for net zero and reposition for a sustainable future.”

Source: Offshore Magazine