Demand a full mapping of methane leaks from the oil industry – NRK Norway – Summary of news from different parts of the country

Using remotely controlled submarines, this summer Greenpeace recorded video images showing methane leaks that they believe have lasted 30 years. The leaks occurred as the result of an accident in 1990, in the British part of the North Sea.

– It is very serious that the leaks are there, after 30 years. But, sadly, this is not a unique case. Researchers believe that up to 30,000 tonnes of methane leak from thousands of wells in the North Sea every quarter of a year. This is a major environmental issue that the government must address, says Frode Pleym, head of Greenpeace Norway.

Perforated gas bag

The Swedish company Stena Drilling was searching for oil on behalf of Mobil North Sea, not Exxon Mobil, when the accident occurred. They punctured a pocket of gas, several craters appeared on the seabed, and methane began to leak out.

Exxon Mobil confirms the incident to NRK. Drilling activity in the city ended many years ago and the well was turned over to the British state.

Press spokesman Richard Scrase at Exxon Mobil says the company, in collaboration with the UK Ministry of Energy and Climate, conducted several surveys in the area. They concluded that no negative effect of the shock could be demonstrated. Scrase says that methane appears to dissolve in water, adding that the researchers are also not sure about the effect of methane on water.

Dangerous greenhouse gas

From the point of view of nature, they contain large amounts of methane gas in the upper parts of the seabed. This is a greenhouse gas that is at least 30 times more powerful than CO₂ and leads to global warming.

– Methane in the atmosphere has a very negative effect on the climate. The amount has been increasing for several decades, not just from industry, says Benedicte Ferré, who is an oceanographer at CAGE, Center for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate.

He adds that more knowledge is needed to be able to determine how much methane from the ocean rises to the atmosphere.

Scientists seem to agree that methane in the ocean only helps to a small extent to raise the level in the atmosphere.

Ocean acidification

– Of what is released at great depths, 100 meters and more, there seems to be little that reaches the atmosphere. But methane will have an effect on the sea, says NILU principal investigator Cathrine Lund Myhre.

– Which way?

– Methane causes, among other things, the sea to become more acidic. Ocean acidification is definitely a problem, he says.

Greenpeace is now demanding that the Norwegian government address this problem.

– Requires a complete description

– Our demand to the government is to get a complete overview of the emissions on the Norwegian platform and then start with the measures. It’s about plugging old wells and ensuring that in the future they will not be drilled in the vicinity of these gas pockets, so that they are punctured and methane leaked, says Frode Pleym.

– Who will take care of the invoice?

– This bill should be taken by the polluter and not by the Norwegian taxpayers. It is the companies, Norwegian and foreign, that have run this business for nearly 50 years, who must pay as much to have this mapped as to take the appropriate action, Pleym says.

The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority has the responsibility to oversee, for example, safety, emergency preparedness and safety in Norwegian oil and gas operations. The audit depends on the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

– continuing

Secretary of State Vegard Einan (H) says the following in a comment written to NRK:

– The Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority is currently working to get an overview of methane leaks from the wells on the Norwegian shelf, methane leaks from the areas around the wells, and also general bed methane leaks marine in places where there is no drilling. When it comes to sealing methane leaks, so far no case has been reported on the Norwegian shelf where the amount has been so large that it is practically possible to collect or stop the bubbles coming out.

It also claims that the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority is involved in an international collaboration for the management of methane leaks from the seabed.

– It is urgent

– We hope you have the highest priority to give an overview of the methane leaks. Until it’s in place, no one knows where the bubbles are bubbling or what measurements are possible. This is not how we can have it, says Frode Pleym at Greenpeace.

This German report also mentions methane emissions from oil and gas operations in the North Sea as a large and widespread problem. Pleym believes that it is important to act quickly.

– The absence of emissions is a small problem. We must cut in all areas. As we know, these are emissions that lead to acidification of the oceans and that, to a certain extent, are released into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Now we need to get an overview, so that the work of reducing these emissions can begin, says Pleym.