The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) recently released an Environmental Performance Indicators report with 2021 data. The data show a slight increase in the intensity of all greenhouse gas emissions reported by IOGP member companies.
Total greenhouse gas intensity increased by 6% from 2020 to 2021. In breakdown, the increase was 6% for carbon dioxide, 2% for methane, 6% for non-methane volatile organic compounds, 5% for sulfur dioxide, and 14% for nitrogen oxides.
The IOGP report gives several reasons for the increase in emissions. Asset sales, closures, end of asset life, or reduced activity are listed as possible reasons, along with company changes reported for 2020-2021.
Data for the report were submitted by 40 of IOGP’s 64 member operating companies covering operations in 72 countries around the world. Of the 40 companies that submitted 2021 data, 35 submitted his 2020 data.
IOGP reports that 40 companies reporting data for 2021 are producing about 13.5 billion BOE of oil and gas wellheads, representing about 24% of global production turnover in 2021 doing. However, the regional range is not uniform, ranging from 85% of known production in Europe to 10% of his in Russia and Central Asia.
The report also presents data on flaring, with more natural gas reportedly flaring in 2021 than in 2020, although the long-term trend is clearly declining. According to 2021 data, he burned 9.4 tons of gas for every 1,000 tons of hydrocarbons produced. In 2020, that number was 7.9 tonnes per 1,000 tonnes of hydrocarbons produced, while in 2019 it was 9.7 tonnes per 1,000 tonnes. According to the report, the increase in 2021 is mainly due to an increase in flaring in Africa.
The report suggests several reasons for the increase in flaring in Africa. This includes the lack of infrastructure to enable the use of gas and recovering from reduced production brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to discharge intensity and flaring, reports report energy consumption, product water discharge, non-water drilling fluids retained in cuttings discharged to sea, oil and chemical spills, and recovered for use. It also presents data on freshwater.
Click here for the report.
