Thursday 28 November 2013

Oil & Gas UK publishes Environmental Report 2013

Oil & Gas UK has published an enhanced Environmental Report containing key metrics of the sector’s performance, information on what environmental challenges are faced and how these are being addressed.

Director of Environmental Issues Director Mick Borwell hopes the report will lend transparency to a complex, heavily regulated industry.

“All activities on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), including emissions and discharges, require government approval, authorisation or permits. Helping our member companies understand and maintain compliance with existing and new environmental regulation is a core function of our organisation.  How we go about this work is described in the report, as is our work to ensure that any new legislation is fit for purpose and based on a sound understanding of the issues it intends to regulate.” Mr Borwell said.

While continuing to satisfy the majority of the UK’s energy needs and make significant contributions to the economy, the oil and gas industry has an important role to play in the transition towards a lower-carbon economy, at both the energy production and emissions reduction stages of the cycle.

“The UKCS is a mature basin. Sustaining oil and gas production from depleting reservoirs requires greater energy input, increased use of chemicals and the management of larger volumes of produced water.  The emissions and discharges resulting from these increases must be effectively managed.  It should be noted that the data trends for the industry as a whole illustrate that this is the case, with levels of the most important metrics either decreasing or remaining relatively constant.”

The Environment Report 2013 is available online to download, is the first to be published in this form and future issues will be expanded to include more information. 

Ends.

Note to editors:For further information, please contact Laura Ackland at lackland@oilandgasuk.co.uk or 020 7802 2404.

Oil & Gas UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK offshore oil and gas industry. Its growing membership, which comprises oil and gas producers and contractor companies, now numbers more than 400.