Qatar: RasGas Announces Success of Three Key Environmental Initiatives to Protect Air Quality

 

Under the banner “Innovations for a Greener Future”, RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) yesterday showcased the remarkable feats the company is undertaking to protect air quality and the environment in Qatar.

At a ceremony in Doha, senior officials from the Ministry of the Environment (MoE), Qatar Petroleum, ExxonMobil, and General Electric joined together with RasGas’ senior management to applaud three key programmes – Dry Low NOx (DLN) retrofit, flare minimisation and Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR).

Speaking from the event, Al Mohannadi said: “The three environmental initiatives we celebrate today are considered the first of their kind in the region. RasGas perceives its responsibility for protecting the environment as a core commitment. As an active partner in Qatar’s drive for sustainable development, RasGas is taking the initiative in all its activities including processing natural gas, implementing safety programmes, recycling and proactively engaging with regulators.”

We continue to enjoy close cooperation and collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, and we take all the steps necessary to ensure full alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030 as set-out by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar,” he added.

RasGas has proactively implemented three innovative technological initiatives as part of its core commitment to the preservation of the environment. Since 2005, RasGas has undertaken a retrofit programme using Dry Low NOx (DLN) technology on its combustion units to ensure that emissions of harmful oxides of nitrogen are reduced. The DLN retrofit programme is the first of its kind in Qatar and RasGas announced it had succeeded in exceeding the MoE’s targets for NOx emissions.

Working in coordination with the MoE, RasGas has successfully implemented a 5-year flare minimisation plan from 2005 to 2010 and reduced its on-plot flaring volume by 66 percent. Flaring waste gases is necessary at LNG operations for the safety of employees and equipment but they have the potential to impact on the environment due to harmful air emissions and climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions. RasGas’ reduction in flaring was achieved through the use of best practices in the industry, including improved facility designs, new operating procedures, and the utilisation of waste gas for power generation.

The third initiative implemented by RasGas as part of its commitment to the environment is the use of a Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programme to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. The reduction of VOC emissions is a positive step for the ambient air quality of Qatar, as it is a precursor for formation of tropospheric ozone (a greenhouse gas and health irritant).

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Source: RasGas, March 15, 2011;