South Oman Cluster GHG and Carbon Footprint Reduction Journey - Achievements and Aspirations

South Oman Sour Cluster facilities have historically recorded peak total Green House Gas Emission (GHGE) of ~2.1 million tons CO2e in 2019 representing largest volumes within Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). The key contributing factors were lower system availability which resulted in large non-routine flaring and Miscible Gas Injection (MGI) process which requires high power consumption. This paper describes an effective integrated approach undertaken through flaring reduction initiatives, operational excellence and new technology deployments to reduce GHGE footprint within the company/Oman. These initiatives contribute towards a greener hydrocarbon industry and helps in combating climate change. Non-routine Flaring has been reduced through initiatives to improve system availability (upgrade of control and safeguarding systems, critical parts), focused maintenance campaigns and inline well testing. Critical compressors are being spared where economical and upcoming projects are adopting parallel configurations. Flare Gas Recovery solutions are being deployed with help of new technologies (gas sweetening and flue gas cleaning) to recover all safety flaring and partial non-routine flaring volumes. Local Fuel gas consumption is being phased out. Power grids are being sourced from renewable sources and power plants are being shifted to hydrogen where possible and deployment of CCUS technologies. As a result of the ongoing initiatives, South Oman Cluster facilities recently in 2021 achieved ~50% reduction in flaring volumes and overall ~25% drop in GHGE compared to 2019 levels. In line with the decarbonization roadmap, total GHGE is predicted to further reduce and reach ~0.7 million tons CO2e (67% lower) by 2030 and ~0.3 million tons CO2e (85% lower) by 2044. These radical impacts were a result of an integrated approach to GHGE issues by identifying all possible sources of emissions, mitigating them as much as possible and addressing the rest through various pragmatic solutions despite the challenges of being critical sour facilities. A core GHGE task force was put in place to continuously evaluate performance, scout for feasible initiatives and pursue its execution to realize its gains. South Oman Sour Cluster GHGE journey, learnings and approach could be replicated elsewhere in the Hydrocarbon industry thereby contributing to a Green Planet.