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ENVIRONMENT REPORT
2016
From 2010 to 2015, 2,942 tonnes of chemicals were reported in PON1s on the UKCS, representing a total of
1,132 incidents. PLONOR and low hazard category chemicals make up the majority (almost 2,252 tonnes,
77 per cent) of the mass released and the number of incidents. High and medium hazard category chemicals
contributed 4.4 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively by mass, with the remaining falling into the unattributable
category. The peak in unattributable releases in 2012, shown in Figure 31, is due to a single incident releasing a
mixture of drilling fluids and therefore a single hazard category cannot be assigned at present
There has been a 65 per cent (more than 400 tonnes) decrease in the mass of chemicals accidentally released
between 2010 and 2015. The number of incidents has remained relatively stable (increasing from 162 to 167). This
shows that the releases are generally of smaller amounts than in previous years.
Figure 31: Mass of Accidental Chemical Releases by Hazard Category and with Number of Releases
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of Releases
Accidental Chemical Release Mass (Tonnes)
Unattributable
High
Medium
Low
PLONOR
Number of Releases
Source: BEIS July 2016
Releases by Source
The accidental chemical releases from 2010 to 2015 are also categorised by source. Figure 32 opposite shows
annual variation in the same way as the oil releases, highlighting the anomalous, largest incidents over the last
five years and reflecting the unplanned nature of releases. The unknown category encompasses the accidental
releases for which no source information was given. Consequently, it is expected that these figures may change in
the future as further information becomes available from BEIS.
Between 2010 and 2015, production systems and related equipment contributed the majority (1,132 tonnes,
454 releases) of all accidental chemical releases, with hydraulic and subsea systems accounting for 596 tonnes
(278 releases) and 517 tonnes (205 releases), respectively. Together, these three categories account for over
76 per cent of accidental releases by mass over the past six years.