Environment Report 2019

ENVIRONMENT REPORT 2019

4.2 Discharged Drill Cuttings Figure 26 shows the distribution of drill cuttings discharged to the sea across UKCS operators in 2018. The amount discharged depends on the number and length of wells each operator has drilled over the year, and therefore the volume increases during intensive drilling campaigns. On average, 212 tonnes of drill cuttings per well were discharged to sea in 2018, lower than the 502 tonnes discharged in 2017. Three of the 26 operators discharged oil-based fluid cuttings in 2018, fewer than in 2017. All discharged oil-based cuttings undergo processing and cleaning on-board to bring the oil-on-cuttings content to below 1 per cent. The trend of increased oil-based fluid cuttings being discharged to sea continued in 2018, means fewer cuttings are being shipped to shore for processing and landfill.

Figure 26: Cuttings Discharged to Sea per Operator, 2018

6,000

Cuttings From Water-Based Fluids Cuttings From Oil-Based Fluids

2018 Average 2017 Average

5,000

4,000

3,000 )sennoT( sgnittuC degrahcsiD

2,000

1,000

0

A B C D E F G H I

J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Source: EEMS, May 2019

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