Community Engagement

Abstract

Abstract Oil and gas development in the proximity of landowners is most often met with opposition either at the application stage or after the operation begins. The publicity from recent documentaries has only added fuel to the fire. Issues with water, air and footprint top the list of environmental concerns. Stringent regulation is being enacted to attempt to address these fears. Technology will play an increasingly key role in the solutions. Incineration technology is being used throughout the oil and gas industry worldwide to address the regulatory and landowner emission and air quality requirements. Many jurisdictions have already demanded high efficiency combustion of waste gas hydrocarbon streams. This technology delivers measurable 99.99% combustion efficiency with no visible flame, black smoke or detectable odor while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore an improvement in overall air quality, over a conventional flaring and venting. Incineration technology has applicability in well workovers, testing, gas processing and transmission. The benefits are significant and quantifiable. Landowners become potential allies for future development and the benefits and savings continue to accumulate. Having a positive relationship with the community for the life of the reserves yields immeasurable payback for all. In addition, the waste heat generated can be recovered converted to useful heat or power, hence unlocking the value in the waste gas stream. The focus in the future will be on energy efficiency as a means to reduce the environmental footprint. Incineration is an established innovative technology that can cost effectively significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions with environmental and sustainability benefits by improving air quality, minimizing footprint and hence addressing the public concerns.