This is important to ensure that the operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) become leaders of environmental performance, contribute to resource recovery of available resources on the NCS while optimising value creation from the NCS resources on, in order to support and increase value creation from the Norwegian based industry and service providers. This strategy includes environmental technology (hardware, methods and software) that need public funding to be developed within the given timeframe.
The TTA group has agreed on a vision for the environmental technology of the future:
‘The Norwegian Continental Shelf shall be a leader in (health, safety and) environmental performance and Norwayshall be the world leading knowledge and technology cluster within environmental technologiessupporting sustainable exploration, development, production and decommissioning.’
Priorities have been made with emphasis on issues that are considered most important and that need governmental support either for initialisation or acceleration. Important areas that are covered by existing initiatives and already funded from industry have been omitted in this strategy.
The priority areas as identified are:
· Balance emissions and discharges: Balance and minimise the total emissions to the environment. This includes method to assess impacts from discharges to sea and emissions to air, the effects of compliance to a zero discharge versus a zero harmful discharge framework and efforts to minimise emissions and discharges across borders of sectors and interests. Efforts to minimise emissions and discharges globally, i.e. also across industrial sectors should be emphasised and holistic solutions to reduce emissions of CO2 and NOx is needed.
· Establish baseline: Map environmental basis before entering sensitive areas. This include mapping of conditions before operation and under operation, prediction of effects of activity (risk and impact based evaluations) and monitoring
· Arctic and deepwater risks: Understanding the risks to the environment in Arctic and deepwater ecosystems (i.e. effects of temperature, pressure, salinity and nutrients)
· Produced water management: Further improvement of produced water management options including injection of produced water, increasing efficiency and reliability of existing systems as well as improving retrofitting and controlling performance. This includes also development and improvement of performance and reliability of monitoring and control systems for produced water components including dispersed and dissolved oil and to optimise the chemical substitution principle presently applied to include the chemicals in the integrated HSE risk approach of total discharges to sea
· CO2 value chain: Specific focus on environmental issues related to development of infrastructure to transport CO2 from source to the fields, injection and ability to process produced gas. Next generation CO2 separation from natural gas (either from CO2 rich reservoirs or EOR) as well as improved understanding of the short and long term consequences of CO2 injection is needed
· Acute discharges, leaks and spills: Acute discharges, leaks and oil spill contingency with focus on near shore and Arctic areas. Forecasting/prognosis tool for prediction of oil spreading and drift in selected coastal and Arctic areas based on environmental, economic or industrial importance. Detection of spills at source, e.g. subsea leak detection systems.
· Alternative energy technology: Alternative energy technology as supplement to existing infrastructure to increase availability of power while reducing specific emissions. In the short term, this includes adaptation of technologies to offshore conditions to reduce specific emissions (e.g. NOx). In the longer term, this means development of technology to supplement and replace parts of the current power supply (mainly based on single cycle gas turbines and internal combustion engines)
· Decommissioning and abandonment: Environmentally friendly alternatives for abandoning or reuse of old installations including surveillance and monitoring
Environmental technology should be incorporated with all technology development to obtain sustainable development and it is expected that many of the projects under other TTAs will be cover the needs identified as gaps here. The identified interfaces are listed in Section 0.
Review of ongoing activity shows that there is an apparent lack of initiatives to address holistic approach to environmental issues, i.e. balancing emissions to air, discharges to sea and waste management. Also, stakeholder focus in this area is low and efforts to create awareness should be prioritised.
Communicating the standards and track record of the business, and to communicate the exciting future opportunities are key to improve public perception and recruitment to the industry.
There is a need to maintain a leading position when developing environmental legislation and technology to further strengthen the position of the Norwegian oil and gas industry. Legislation has been and should continue to be developed as a cooperative effort between authorities, research facilities and industry. Continuous innovation and development are important for attracting international companies and to support export of technology.
TTA 1 – Environmental technology for the future
Simon Davies, Shell (Lead party rep)
Ann Gunn Rike, NGI
Eilien Vik, Aquateam
Gunnar H Lille, Chevron
Paal J Nilsen, Aibel
Steinar Sanne, IRIS
Tor Jensen, DNV
Ulf Einar Moltu, Total
Read the full sub strategy here.
