UK North Sea flaring cut by 22% in a year

Flaring intensity, the measure of how much gas was flared per unit of oil produced, also decreased from 114 standard cubic feet of gas for every barrel of oil (scf/bbl) to 95 in 2020, a 10-year low. 

Reasons for the cut – which saw a year-on-year fall in every month – vary from field-to-field, says the OGA, but include increasing use of flare-reduction technology on some platforms and fewer planned shutdowns, making 2020 a particularly low flaring year. A flare gas recovery unit on one platform has reduced the volume of flared gas by around 60% in a year, says the Authority.

In 2020, the industry’s trade association, OGUK, set a target of halving all emissions by 2030, including from flaring and venting.