Oil and gas emissions down in Norway

Emissions from the petroleum industry declined in Norway during 2009. According to reports from the operating companies; volatile hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide were all at lower levels than in previous years.

The findings were made in collaboration with EnvironmentWeb, a joint database for the oil and gas industries, encompassing the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), the Norwegian Oil Industry Association (OLF) and the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency (Klif).

From 2008 to 2009, CO2 emissions from petroleum activities dropped by 13.8 percent to 12.4 million tonnes. The decline is thought to be due to the implication of more precise flaring methods for calculating pollution and the return to normal operations at the Snohvit facility in Hammerfest.

Nitrogen oxide levels were also down by four percent along with Volatile organic compounds which have been reduced by almost 10 percent. This has been achieved through the removal and recovery of oil vapour on shuttle tankers and storage vessels, according to the Norway Post.

Greenhouse gas emissions in Norway fell by 5.4 percent in 2009 to 50.8 million tonnes, according to Klif and Statistics Norway (SSB). The figures from the petroleum industry amount to 26 percent of the country’s total CO2 emissions for 2009, down 0.6 percent on the previous year.