Wednesday 18 November 1998

Offshore Oil And Gas Industry Sets Benchmark For Environmental Reporting

The UK offshore oil and gas industry has just published its first Environmental Report, marking the start of what will be an annual process of describing more publicly the impacts the Industry as a whole has on the environment.

Published by UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA), the representative body for 35 oil and gas companies operating in UK waters, the report gives an Industry perspective on current environmental issues of significance, including the first quantified statement of discharges and emissions from offshore installations and onshore terminals.

Details are given for chemical and oil discharges, including oil in produced water, accidental spills and drill cuttings, atmospheric emissions and waste management. Prominent environmentalist David Bellamy has provided the foreword.

In his introduction to the Report, UKOOA President Steve Suellentrop said: Most people accept that the availability of oil and gas brings enormous benefits to society. But as with nearly every technologically based aspect of modern life, oil and gas production also brings inherent impacts to the environment that need to be managed.

The environment is important at a business and a personal level. Failure to apply good environmental practice has a consequence for long-term business prospects. We in the Industry take pride in our work and need to be able to describe how we ensure the environment is protected.

Although we are proud of what we have achieved, we make no claim to having achieved perfection in a changing world. What we can promise is to measure and consistently report our environmental performance. Our goal is, and will continue to be, to meet the United Kingdoms needs for oil and gas in an environmentally sensitive manner.

Note to Editors;

* UK Offshore Operators Association (UKOOA) is the representative organisation for the UK Offshore Oil and Gas Industry. Its 35 members are companies licensed by Government to explore for and produce oil and gas in UK waters.

* The UK government regulates the environmental performance of the offshore oil and gas industry. This enforcement is applied through the offshore licensing system administered by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and by other legislation covering individual aspects.

* In 1992 UKOOA set up an environmental emissions and discharges monitoring database (EEMS) in response to Government and Industry requirements for aggregated data. In 1997 the UK Government accepted the use of this database as the statutory record. It provided the source of much of the data used in the UKOOA 1998 Environmental Report.

* A copy of the UKOOA 1998 Environmental Report is enclosed with this Press Release.

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