Retaining the Sustainability of Oil and Gas Operations: Qualifying the Best Available Techniques

By nature, oil and gas operations are sensitive to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) requirements. Within the Norwegian Continental Self (NCS), it is mandatory to implement the Best Available Techniques (BAT) guidelines as required in the European Union’s Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) directive. The directive provides guidelines for selecting BAT in industrial activities while protecting the environment as a whole. One of the major challenges for an oil and gas operator is to satisfy the guidelines while confirming fitness for purpose with respect to the different technologies applied. Hence, the concept of technique qualification is paramount to reveal opportunities to improve system design, to minimize schedule risk and to reduce cost risks during operations by reducing uncertainties and increasing reliability. In this paper, we are concerned with the process of selecting a technique for supplying power from shore to an offshore unit. This paper discusses how we can give priorities to HSE concerns, while also satisfying financial objectives, in the context of implementing the BAT guidelines. The analysis aims to qualify the technique as a whole, considering the capability of satisfying the underlying objective of controlling environmental pollution.