Climate and Energy
A shrinking carbon footprint
TotalEnergies EP Denmark’s Carbon Footprint Reduction (CFR) team is identifying and screening opportunities to reduce Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Several initiatives are proceeding successfully, with reduction of flaring just one example among many.
A pressure control valve on the Dan field in the Danish North Sea was passing gas – resulting in an additional 5,000 standard cubic meters per day extra flare.
The repair of internal parts was undertaken during a planned shutdown of the NOGAT pipeline in September 2022 and a subsequent inflow test confirmed the valve was tight.
The successful repair reduced the emissions by 4,100 tons of CO2 per year and is just one example of TotalEnergies EP Denmark’s CFR initiatives. This began in 2019 and has made considerable progress, with plenty more to do to achieve ambitious targets for 2025, 2030 and ultimately net zero 2050. For 2030, the aim is a 40% reduction vs 2015 net emissions Scope 1 and 2 from operated assets.
“We want to accelerate and do more,” says Susanne Frederiksen, CFR Manager. “With strengthened leadership focus, reducing our carbon footprint is spreading automatically and we get a lot of support from other departments both on- and offshore.”
“With strengthened leadership focus, reducing our carbon footprint is spreading automatically and we get a lot of support from other departments both on- and offshore.”
– Susanne Frederiksen, CFR Manager
40%
reduction of CO2 by 2030 vs 2015 net emissions Scope 1 and 2 from operated assets is the aim, and ultimately net zero in 2050.
4,100
tons of CO2 reduced per year after repairing a pressure control valve on the Dan field. This equals the emissions from driving ~20 million km in a car.
Definition of Scope 1 and 2
Scope 1: Total GHG emissions from sources at facilities owned (partially or wholly) and/or operated by TotalEnergies. Direct GHG emissions correspond to Scope 1 emissions as defined by the GHG Protocol.
Scope 2: GHG emissions that occur at the point of the energy generation (owned or operated by a third party) for electricity, heat or steam imported (i.e. purchased) for use on site. Indirect GHG emissions from imported energy correspond to Scope 2 emissions as defined by the GHG Protocol.
Efficiency focus
TotalEnergies global top management has outlined plans to spend $1 billion over two years to become more energy efficient, adding further momentum to climate footprint efforts.
The company is seeking to reduce energy consumption across all of production, logistics and sales operations. This will also reduce costs and increase competitiveness while also resulting in more sustainable consumption of energy. The work of the CFR team in Esbjerg is a direct outcome of an intense focus on carbon reductions and the formation of a dedicated team is a great advantage.
Whereas people used to work on CFR alongside their regular jobs, there is now a core team of three in Denmark working alongside team representatives from other departments. Well over 100 initiatives have been identified to reduce carbon footprint – some are still to be screened, some are found not to be feasible, others are on hold, but many receive a green light and dedicated resources.
“Now we have this core team and we have accelerated the maturation of projects,” says Lars Hvejsel Hansen, Lead CFR Engineer. “People want to buy in on this journey, especially regarding reducing emissions from our facilities. Everyone is very engaged.”
Racking up the reductions
Flaring is necessary from a safety and operational perspective but results in CO2 emissions. TotalEnergies EP Denmark actively works to reduce its emissions and minimize gas flaring from offshore installations, to operate as safely and environmentally responsibly as possible. We target zero flaring by 2030 and will achieve zero routine flaring in 2023 in our Danish operations.
There were several other important reductions in carbon footprint in 2022. This includes the use of vessels using batteries and shore power connections, installing a back-up compressor on Dan, partial re-route of the Halfdan oil from Gorm to Dan, GHG reductions from the well performance team and acquiring the ISO 50 001 Energy Management System certification.
“It’s a change in mindset from just a few years ago, with a lot more attention and focus from everybody on trying to get better and optimize,” says Frederiksen. “And we have a lot of good plans to work on for the future.”
Definition of flaring
The purpose of a flare is to safely dispose off unwanted gas, through controlled combustion, which cannot be utilized for various reasons.
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