David Bamford, Director at Future Energy Partners

Three contradictory things.....

F Scott Fitzgerald said "The truest sign of intelligence is the ability to entertain two contradictory ideas simultaneously"

Let me try three!

In the matter of GHG emissions, our U.K. government - through NSTA - says:

"The UKCS upstream oil and gas industry has made encouraging early progress in its efforts to cut emissions and meet NSTD targets.

Total emissions fell by 21.5% between 2018 and 2021 with a 14.6% decline in 2021 alone due both to production falls but also the sector’s proactive steps to reduce emissions, and the NSTA’s regulatory and stewardship approach...

.........NSTA projections show that in a BAU scenario, industry is on track the meet the NSTD 2025 and 2027 emission reduction targets of 10% and 25% respectively. Meeting the 2030 target of 50% reduction will require much greater ambition."

On the other hand, research by C-PREE of Princeton University concluded that:

"A newer, more accurate method for calculating methane emissions from offshore oil and gas production suggests that the United Kingdom severely underestimates its greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers conclude that five times more methane is being leaked from oil and gas production than reported."

Finally our very own CCC, in concluding its thinking on fossil fuels, said:

“There are also areas where lack of reliable and accurate data impedes our ability to measure progress. Here are the data gaps we have identified for the fossil fuel supply sector. These will be added to our framework when credible data sources are available:

• Carbon-intensity measurement standards. The NSTA has previously published data on the emissions-intensity of oil and gas production that only included the subset of emissions that are covered by the UK emissions trading scheme (UK ETS). The Government should publish data on the carbon-intensity of fossil fuel production covering all sources of greenhouse gases (i.e. all gases, and including all emissions from oil and gas platforms and processing terminals)[1] rather than simply CO2 emissions covered by the ETS.
• Energy use for oil and gas. There are no detailed and credible public data of energy use in oil and gas platforms. We would like to track what type of energy source and how much is being used for electricity and heat generation, correlating it with the way energy use impact on emissions."
• Flaring and venting. Due to the lack of monitoring and quantification of emissions from flaring and venting, there is a data gap to track the progress of industry initiatives to reduce flaring and venting."

[1] "This should include emissions associated with compression stations used on oil and gas platforms as well as LNG terminals.”

Now forgive me if I'm wrong but aren't these 3 statements completely contradictory?

Or...

Maybe not - they are all rooted in the absence of actual monitoring, characterisation and measurement of anything, anywhere, all the time!

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: Future Energy Partners