Equinor to halve CO2 emissions on NCS by 2030

Norwegian oil major Equinor has revealed plans to halve CO2 emissions from its logistical operations on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS) by 2030.

Equinor said on Friday that the CO2 emissions from its NCS operations were reduced by 600,000 tonnes since 2011.

This includes helicopters and vessels used for supply, emergency response, rig moves, and storage. The size of the decrease, for comparison, corresponds to annual emissions from all cars in Oslo.

According to the company, total emissions have been reduced by 37%, while emissions adjusted for reduced activity have been reduced by 26%. Equinor now has an ambition of stepping up its emission reduction in the NCS supply chain from 26% to 50% by 2030, based on 2011 level.

Philippe F. Mathieu, head of Equinor’s joint operations support cluster, said: “We need broad cooperation if we are to reduce emissions from our supply chain. We influence operations by our management of day-to-day activities, commercially by rewarding low emissions in contracts and strategically by supporting a business that utilizes vessels, vehicles, and helicopters in a proper way.”

Shore and battery-powered vessels

Equinor said that an increasing number of shipowners with supply vessels in the Equinor portfolio are prepared for hybrid battery operation and shore power supply with the central financial contributor for the adaptation being the NOX Fund.

“We have an ambition of moving all vessels on a long-term contract with us to shore power because we have seen that it is an efficient tool for reducing emissions. We note that shipowners, crews, base companies, and authorities are strongly committed and willing to prepare for operation and infrastructure that will help reduce emissions,” added Mathieu.

Also, NorSea will open a shore-to-ship power supply station at the Dusavik supply base by Stavanger on Friday, January 18. This base is the latest in a line of supply bases where vessels contracted by Equinor are offered shore power while at berth and charging of their onboard batteries.

In addition to Dusavik, shore-to-ship power supply stations have been installed at the supply bases at Mongstad in Hordaland, Florø in Sogn og Fjordane, Kristiansund in Møre og Romsdal, and Hammerfest in Finnmark during 2018.

Shore-to-ship power supply is one of several measures to reduce emissions in logistics. It is worth noting that thirteen supply vessels on long-term contracts with Equinor have installed shore power systems on board, and a further five vessels will be prepared for shore power supply during 2019.

Also, when it comes to the efforts to tackle CO2 emissions, Equinor was last week, with its partners Shell and Total, granted permission to develop CO2 storage on the Norwegian Continental Shelf near the Troll field.