Environment Report 2017

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International Comparison 105,100 tonnes of water-based fluid cuttings were discharged to the sea during oil and gas production in Norway in 2016. Of the 117,800 tonnes of oil-based fluid cuttings generated, 28 per cent were reinjected, 72 per cent transported to land, and none were discharged to sea.

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3.5 OSPAR Intermediate Assessment 2017 Since 1986, the OSPAR Convention for protecting and conserving the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic has been taking measures to reduce pollution and minimise the impacts of the offshore oil and gas industry. Full status assessments are published every decade and intermediate assessments annually with permitted data covering all OSPAR signatories for 2009-14. The 2017 intermediate assessment indicates downward trends across the North Sea in the: • Amounts of dispersed oil discharged in produced water • The number of installations exceeding oil in produced water concentrations of 30 mg/l • The use and discharge of chemicals with a SUB and LCPA (List of Chemicals for Priority Action) warning • Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in shellfish and sediment. • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) in fish, shellfish and sediment – bar CB118, which takes several decades to reduce to near zero levels following their ban 25 years ago. • Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) in fish, shellfish and sediment – declining in levels by approximately 10 per cent a year for fish and shellfish. • Imposex in Marine Gastropods (TBT in Shellfish) – significantly declining following actions to minimise or ban TBT use. • Organotin in sediments in the southern North Sea – have fallen considerably and often below the limit of detection. • Heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, and lead) in fish and shellfish – average heavy metal concentrations in shellfish and fish are below European Commission maximum limits for foodstuffs. The results are promising and show that the concentrations of these contaminants from a wide range of industrial activities are declining on the UKCS and the North Sea as a whole, to levels OSPAR deemed unlikely to have an adverse effect on the marine environment. Small volumes of PAH and heavy metals are discharged in produced water from the oil and gas industry. PCB, PBDE, TBT and organotins are no longer discharged but may be found in legacy cuttings piles. Furthermore, the concentrations of multiple legacy contaminants found in the North Sea continue to be well below the Environmental Assessment Criteria level set by OSPAR. The contaminants include:

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