Venting & flaring

Flaring activity is estimated to make up just under a quarter of all Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions generated from oil and gas operations on UKCS facilities.

In total GHG (carbon dioxide equivalent) terms, the value is roughly 25%. Venting activity contributes an estimated 1% of Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions, roughly half of methane emissions and 5% of total GHG emissions from UKCS facilities. 

As part of our funding competition, we aimed to support technologies that will elimate the need for category 1 (base load) and category 2 (operational) flaring within the following three focus areas:

Gas Export: develop technologies and methodologies that enable excess methane to be exported utilising existing in field infrastructure 

Gas Recovery & Storage: developing gas recovery and storage technologies that will enable excess methane gas to be stored locally for transportation or local gas to wire applications 

Measurement & utilisation: development of predictive plant over pressurisation technologies to minimise gas recovery/flaring requirement. Technologies that will enable accurate measurement of methane emissions from unavoidable venting and flaring