§ Mr. Gordon Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Energy whether he is satisfied with the level of flaring of gas in the North Sea; and if he will list current flaring agreements.
§ Mr. GrayConsent to the flaring of gas is given only when we are satisfied that no alternative method of disposal is technically and economically achievable. Partly as a result of the pressure that this Government have maintained on operators to conserve gas, the rate of flaring has been approximately halved since its peak in the summer of 1979.
Current flaring agreements with individual operators are commercially confidential. However the following table gives the volumes of gas flared at each field in 1980.
Average gas flaring rates at UKCS oilfields in 1980 Million cubic metres a day (provisional) Argyll 0.13 Auk 0.06 Beryl 0.38 Brent 3.45 Claymore 0.88 Piper South Cormorant 0.41 Dunlin 0.61 Forties 2.49 Heather 0.10 Montrose 0.50 Murchison (United Kingdom) ✶0.51 Ninian 1.51 Statfjord (United Kingdom) 0.20 Thistle 0.61 ✶ Since start-up in September.