SR I_Brochure_I c.cdr - ONGC

Our major products are crude oil and natural gas which
serve as inputs for downstream oil & gas industry.
Mitigating the health, safety and environmental impacts of
crude oil and natural gas that including the various
fractions and products derived out of them by the
downstream industry, across their life cycle, is beyond the
operational control of ONGC. Also we do not have
operational control over the provision of energy efficient or
renewable energy based products, when viewed as a
product from the end user's perspective. However, we
assess, monitor and control the health, safety and
environmental impacts across the activity chain as viewed
in the "gate to gate" boundary perspective and also
continuously strive to reduce the energy consumption
including the use of renewable energy where possible.
For example, we are structuring an ambitious project to
substitute the use of natural gas by solar energy for heatertreater
application in some identified on land production
installations. The project is currently in the final stages of
conceptualization and would be completed in a phased
manner over the next five years.
2. Low-Hanging Fruits
Fugitive Emissions
Methane emissions have 21 times the global warming
potential of CO 2 and preventing the leakage of this gas can
have a large positive impact. In 2007, ONGC become part
of the Methane to Market Partnership, now known as
Global Methane Initiative (GMI), and formed an internal
measurement team to independently undertake fugitive
methane identification and measurement studies and
implement emissions capture programs.
Beginning May 2008, four representative large
installations were identified for implementation of the
program. The goal was to undertake Directed Inspection &
Maintenance (DI&M) such as repairing pipeline leaks,
changing valves, replacing valve packing and leaking rod
packing seals in reciprocating compressors. The exercise
helped reduce methane emissions by 3.2 MMSCM.
The activity was expanded to three additional installations
in Nov 2009 resulting in the reduction of methane
emissions by 4.72 MMSCM, through DI&M practices. In
2010-11 there were no identified leakages in these
installations and attention was shifted to achieving
methane reductions through capital intensive
technological interventions in the processes such as use
of Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) and changing of servo gas
systems. This resulted in reducing methane emissions by
0.623 MMSCM in 2010-11.
Work on this program is helping ONGC to monetize the
benefits of saved natural gas, increased operational
efficiency, environmental performance and workplace
safety. The total gas saved over the last three years
(8.543 MMSCM) is equivalent to saving 121,994 tonnes of
CO
2
equivalents from emitting to atmosphere. We are
expanding this initiative to cover all our relevant
installations in the coming years.
Global Methane Initiative (GMI)
The Global Methane Initiative(GMI), under the Natural Gas STAR
Program of USEPA (United States Environment Protection
Agency) is an international initiative that advances cost-effective,
near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source.
This technical collaboration between the U.S. EPA and ONGC is
building a strong base of knowledge and capacity within ONGC to
cost-effectively reduce methane emissions now as well as in the
future.
Fugitive methane emission management team of ONGC at offshore platform