§ Mr. Campbellasked the Secretary of State for Energy what steps he is taking to reduce gas flaring from the Piper oilfield.
§ Dr. J. Dickson MabonDiscussions with Occidental, operators for Piper and Claymore oilfields, on its field development and gas disposal plans have been centred on our declared objective of minimising flaring and the utilisation of all associated gas that can be economically recovered. The Occidental Group has now made a firm commitment to construct a gas pipeline from its Piper field to an intermediate platform on the Frigg gas pipeline, which has already been built to deliver gas to BGC at St. Fergus. By this means, associated gas from the Piper field will, when the spur pipeline is completed in the autumn of 1978, be delivered to British Gas at St. Fergus. In addition, Occidental has offered Texaco North Sea UK Company, which is considering development of the Tartan field, a share in the spur line for Tartan gas.
The facilities at Piper which provide for the delivery of gas to meet BGC quality 379W requirements will remove natural gas liquids from the wet gas and the additional gas liquids will be recovered for sale at the Occidental terminal at Flotta where additional gas separation equipment will be installed.
Pending the completion of this new gas pipeline I have authorised a gradual increase in Piper oil production as the incremental gas flaring is more than outweighed in this case by the benefits derived from the earlier oil production.
However, should there be any actual or prospective delay in the completion of the gas pipeline I will review the situation regarding the oil production rates.