Environment Report 2014

2. Executive Summary

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Industry Emissions and Discharges • The regulator, the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), issues permits for discharges and emissions from offshore installations on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The potential effects of any such discharge on the marine environment must be considered as part of the permit application. • Discharges and emissions are closely monitored offshore and are recorded in the Environmental Emissions Monitoring System (EEMS) database. Analysis of the data from 2000 to 2013 indicates that the volumes of produced water discharged and atmospheric emissions continue to decline. This is the result of careful management and application of the best available techniques by industry. • Volumes of drilling chemicals discharged to the marine environment increased by 35 per cent from 2012 to 2013 due to exploration of new areas and the development of new and existing fields. The wells drilled commonly includedmultiple sidetracks, increasing the overall length of wells drilled and the quantity of chemicals discharged in 2013. The OSPAR Commission 1 considers the large majority (over 90 per cent) of these chemicals to pose little or no risk to the environment. • Research studies that have been carried out on the UK and Norwegian Continental Shelves over the past ten years indicate that contaminants from offshore operations are at background levels beyond the immediate vicinity of the platform. Although contaminants can be detected in individuals of some species, no effects have been detected at a population or community scale. • In 2013, almost 198,000 tonnes of waste materials were returned to shore from UK offshore oil and gas operations. The proportion of waste sent to landfill has been declining steadily over the past decade as a result of increased reuse and recycling and alternative treatments such as waste to energy.

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• In 2013, 28 per cent (41,000 tonnes) of total operational waste (147,000 tonnes) was reused or recycled, including scrap metal, oils and sludge.

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Accidental Releases • The UK oil and gas industry does its utmost to prevent accidental oil and chemical releases by investing heavily in the provision of physical barriers, such as downhole safety valves, maintenance to minimise leaks, as well as in the development of handling procedures and training to influence human behaviours. In the event of an accidental release, operators have approved emergency response plans in place and use a wide range of response techniques to monitor, contain and recover releases.

• Analysis of the Petroleum Operations Notice 1 data over the past decade, which is submitted by operators to DECC, shows that the volume of accidental releases continues to decline.

• In 2013, accidental oil releases represented three per cent of the total oil discharged (permitted and accidental) to the environment and 0.0002 per cent of total oil production. Over 40 per cent of these releases were less than 0.001 tonnes (or one kilogramme) and would rapidly disperse in the marine environment.

1 The OSPAR Commission aims to protect and conserve the North East Atlantic and its resources. See www.ospar.org

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