Statoil plans to help Pemex reduce flaring by installing a gas processing plant
A collaboration project between Pemex and Statoil for reducing gas flaring at the Tres Hermanos oil field in Mexico has now been registered under the United Nations (UN) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). This is the result of a joint effort between Pemex and Statoil to cut CO2-emissions through curbing gas flaring. This is the first gas flaring reduction project in the Mexican oil industry registered as a CDM.
The Kyoto protocol opens up to invest in emission reduction projects in countries without mandatory emission reduction goals that have subscribed effective climate commitments (i.e. Mexico), and to earn certified emissions reductions (CERs) which then become tradable.
Pemex and Statoil started a pioneering collaboration back in 2004 to identify CDM projects, particularly in gas flaring reduction. This way Pemex committed to voluntarily reduce carbon emissions and improve its energy efficiency.
Statoil would bring its technical expertise and experience, gained in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. In return Statoil could buy from Pemex the CERs obtained by the project.
This CDM-project is part of the Tres Hermanos oil field, situated in Mexico’s Veracruz state, near the city of Poza Rica. Here Pemex has been producing oil for more than six decades.
The associated gas separated from the oil is today not utilized, and is burnt in several flaring systems across the tropical plains because of the marginal economic sense of investing in facilities in order to reduce the flaring.
The aim of the CDM project is to eliminate three of the gas flare batteries and to install a new gas processing and treatment plant. In addition, the plan is to build the necessary gas pipelines to bring the recovered gas to the local market, rather that being burnt on the field.
By doing this CDM project, Pemex expects to avoid emitting an average of 83,000 tpy of CO2, over a ten year period, and to receive the same amount of CERs from the UN.
Pemex will now start the tendering process to sign the EPC contract for this project on January 2011.
Pemex will solely invest, own and operate the facility, which is expected to start up at the end of the next year. Statoil has been responsible of preparing the necessary documentation to obtain the CDM registration by UN.
Statoil will also make sure the project approves the yearly verifications and receives the certified emission reductions to be bought from Pemex.
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