Statoil says meets climate change goals ahead of schedule

Norwegian oil major Statoil has already achieved its 2015 target of reducing the CO2 emissions from the Norwegian continental shelf by 1.2 million tonnes annually from 2008 to 2020 – two years ahead of schedule.

According to Statoil, the reduction equals the emissions from some 600,000 private cars annually or almost every fourth car on Norwegian roads.

Arne Sigve Nylund, executive VP of Development and Production Norway (DPN), said: “It is essential that we take strong and effective actions to meet the challenges associated with man-made climate change and to realize the important goals set in the Paris Agreement. Targeted efforts are therefore underway throughout our business.

“The results show that it is possible to achieve ambitious emission reduction targets. Skills, technology and hard work over time pay off, and confirm that the transformation we need must be achieved in cooperation with, not in opposition to the petroleum industry.”

In 2008, the petroleum industry, under the direction of Konkraft, set a collective energy efficiency goal equivalent to 1 million tonnes of CO2 per year between 2008 and 2020. Statoil’s share of this was 800,000 tonnes.

In 2015, four years ahead of schedule, Statoil achieved this goal, and therefore the company raised its target by 50 percent to 1.2 million tonnes the same year.

“We did not know how to achieve the targets set in 2008, but we did get there. And the emission reductions have been both quicker and bigger than we defined as our original ambition. This gives us important inspiration and motivation when we now go for our 2030 target,” Nylund added.

In nine years until September this year, Statoil has implemented 228 energy improvement measures within the categories flaring, production processes, gas compressors, and gas turbines.

In August 2016, the petroleum industry, under the direction of the Norwegian Oil and Gas Association, launched an ambition of introducing carbon reduction measures equivalent to 2.5 million tonnes on the NCS by 2030, compared with 2020. Statoil’s share of this is 2 million tonnes.

Nylund said: “We aim to reduce CO2 emissions from the NCS by another 2 million tonnes by 2030, i.e., a total of 3.2 million per year. We do not have all of the answers to how to achieve this, but the results we have achieved show that we can find solutions that make this possible. Our goal is to maintain our industry leadership in producing oil and gas with lower emissions.”

CO2 emission reduction examples

Statoil implemented several measures to ensure reduction of CO2 emissions. As a result, the company reduced emissions from gas to flare by 140,000 tonnes of CO2 since 2007.

On the Statfjord A offshore platform, Statoil changed the way it produces drinking water, reducing CO2 emissions by around 4,800 tonnes per year while on Åsgard A in the Norwegian Sea, modification on two gas compressors saved 8,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

By using gravity pressure from the sea instead of a water injection pump on the Kristin field the Norwegian oil firm reduced CO2 emissions by 7,375 tonnes per year. On Oseberg South, an upgrade of two main power turbines reduced annual CO2 emissions by around 10,000 tonnes.

The Kristin field also reduced emissions by installing a new check valve to reduce pressure drop in the inlet manifold. As a result, CO2 emissions went down by 10,000 tonnes per year.