Environmental Report 2000 Index

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President's Introduction The UK's Offshore Oil and Gas Industry takes very seriously both its responsibility to protect the environment and its obligation to be accountable to stakeholders. I am therefore pleased to see the publication of the third Annual Environmental Report, which is aimed at meeting the need for open and honest communication on the industry's environmental performance. This year, in response to readers' feedback to previous reports, we have changed the style to make the information more accessible. The report is more concise this year and we have gathered the facts and figures together in a self-contained section at the back for ease of reference. I am also delighted that we have been able to accelerate the publication of the 2000 Environmental Report. This has been made possible by continuous improvements in both the quality of the data we gather and the speed with which we gather it. Regrettably, we have been unable to produce 1999 data in all categories since it derives from other sources which are still incomplete. Our view, however, is that it is preferable to publish this report in a timely manner, even with some omissions. These will be published at a later date, either in future reports or here on our website. The data itself shows considerable performance progress. The number of oil spills continues to decline; the move away from the use of unclassified chemicals has been rapid and all atmospheric emissions have reduced. I would draw your attention to one figure in particular. You will see that the level of oil in produced water has been reduced yet again, and now stands at 21.67 parts per million (ppm). This further improvement means that the proportion of oil in produced water achieved by the industry is now nearly down to half the legally permitted maximum of 40ppm. This improving proportional trend also means that, although the total amount of water produced in offshore oil production is rising as many fields get older and produce less oil, the actual amount of oil discharged to the sea with this water is falling. I think this is a significant achievement and I hope that readers of this report will recognise in this and the other results in this report, our commitment to continuously improving environmental performance. I believe this industry brings many benefits to society but I am aware that there are growing concerns about the use of fossil fuels and recognise that we have a duty to maximise the benefits while working to minimize perceived drawbacks. In that context, it should not be forgotten that natural gas has been the largest single factor in allowing the UK to meet its international environmental commitments on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Dave Smith, UKOOA President As always, we will welcome your feedback and comments on this report. Please send them to: info@ukooa.co.uk