Rosneft reduces fugitive methane emissions in exploration & production by 73% in 2019

Moscow, May 22 - Neftegaz.RU. Rosneft reduced fugitive methane emissions in the Upstream sector by 73% in 2019 as a result of a comprehensive programme of process improvements and methane emission reduction initiatives.

In 2019, Rosneft joined the initiative of the world’s leading oil and gas companies by signing “The Guidelines for Methane Emission Reduction in Natural Gas Supply Chain.” Rosneft also announced its commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, identifying Combating Climate Change among its 5 priority goals.

The сompany plans to reduce specific greenhouse gas emissions by 5% and improve energy efficiency at production facilities. These initiatives will prevent over 8 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 2022.

The company is also actively introducing its own innovative technologies in the field of rational use of associated petroleum gas (APG), which allows not only to pump it into the reservoir to maintain reservoir pressure but also to use it to generate electricity. In 2019, the average APG utilization rates for mature assets of the сompany reached 93.8%.

Late last year, for the 1st time in East Siberia, the technology for injecting APG in a temporal underground gas storage facility was applied at the Verkhnechonskoye field. The uniqueness of this technology lies in the storage of associated feedstock for further rational use, rather than for maintaining reservoir pressure.

This technology made it possible to bring the level of APG utilization at the Verkhnechonskoye oil and gas condensate field to 97%, one of the highest in the industry. In 2019, the company established the Carbon Management Subcommittee to coordinate corporate activities on the climate agenda.