Environment Report 2018

Figure 5: Production, Drilling and Pipeline Chemicals Discharged

Drilling Chemicals

Production Chemicals

120,000

1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000

Pipeline Chemicals

Production

100,000

80,000

3

60,000

0 200 400 600 800

40,000

Production (Million boe)

20,000

Chemicals Discharged (Tonnes)

0

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: EEMS October 2018

Composition of Chemicals Discharged In 2017, 71 per cent of chemicals discharged to sea from offshore oil and gas operations were PLONOR and just 7 per cent were SUB chemicals. Operators were obliged to phase out, where practical, the use of all SUB chemicals by the end of 2017. 5 Operators continue to look for suitable alternatives to these chemicals, but often there is not a similar substance readily available that can meet the technical requirements for operational or safety reasons. In these cases, operators are permitted to continue to use these SUB chemicals. While 2017 shows a very small increase in the volume of SUB chemicals discharged to sea, the number of different types used continues to fall, from 216 in 2011 to 211 in 2017. Whilst operators encourage suppliers to look for and develop replacements to these chemicals, in some cases it is not currently technically feasible to use an alternative.

International Comparison Just over 139,000 tonnes of chemical additives were discharged on the Norwegian Continental Shelf in 2017 from upstream oil and gas operations, 14,500 tonnes less than the previous year. Eighty-nine per cent of these chemicals fell into the green category, 11 per cent yellow and just 96 tonnes and 5 tonnes were discharged from the red and black categories, respectively. 6

5 See http://www.ospar.org/documents?v=7336 6 Norwegian classifications do not match directly with that of PLONOR and SUB of the UK. For more information, see Norsk Olje & Gass Environment Report 2018 . Red and black are used to designate environmentally hazardous products.

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