Statoil achieves carbon dioxide reduction targets

Statoil ASA says it has achieved targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the Norwegian Continental Shelf and is seeking additional efficiencies.

The company said petroleum industry energy efficiency targets were set in 2008. Statoil met an initial reduction target of 800,000 tonnes in 2015, 4 years ahead of schedule. It raised the reduction target to 1.2 million tonnes by 2020 and has met that target.

Arne Sigve Nylund, a Statoil executive vice-president, said, “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.”

In the past 9 years, Statoil has implemented 228 energy improvement measures. Its initiatives include improved operation of gas turbines, gas compressors, pumping installations, reduction of gas to flare, and smarter fuel consumption for mobile rigs offshore.

Since 2007, Statoil has reduced emissions from gas to flare by 140,000 tonnes of CO₂.

By using gravity pressure from the sea instead of a water injection pump in Kristin field, Statoil has reduced CO₂ emissions by 7,375 tonnes/year. Also at Kristin, the company installed a check valve to reduce pressure drop in the inlet manifold, reducing CO₂ emissions by 10,000 tpy.

Statoil’s Norwegian offshore activities emitted 9 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2016. Statoil-operated installations on NCS have an average CO₂ intensity of 9 kg/bbl of produced oil.

Under the direction of the Norwegian Oil & Gas Association, the petroleum industry in August 2016 set carbon reduction measures equivalent to 2.5 million tonnes on the NCS by 2030 vs. 2020. Statoil’s share of the 2030 target is 2 million tonnes.

The company said it pays almost 4 billion kroner/year in carbon tax.