A sixth North Sea operator has been fined for excessive flaring, or venting, in the past two years.
The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has imposed a penalty of £125,000 on CNOOC Petroleum Europe Limited, for venting without consent at its Buzzard field, 60 miles north-east of Aberdeen, on two separate occasions in the space of a fortnight.
The NSTA has now issued fines totalling £825,000 for flaring or venting consent breaches since late 2022.
Flaring and venting make up about one-fifth of the UK oil and gas industry’s offshore production emissions.
While some flaring and venting is unavoidable for safety and operational reasons, NSTA says reducing the amount of gas being emitted via these processes is vital.
Jane de Lozey, NSTA Director of Regulation, said: “North Sea operators have taken up the challenge of cutting flaring and venting, almost halving emissions from these processes since 2018.
“However, at a time when the industry is competing for investment and its commitment to the energy transition is under intense scrutiny, it is vital that all operators remain vigilant on emissions.”
The flaring fines for CNOOC related to two incidents in 2022. It has co-operated with the investigations and taken steps to stop it happening in the future.
From 1 January this year, £500,000 is the new starting point for considering fines relating to breaches of flaring and venting regulations.
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