Holistic approach needed to achieve net-zero facilities

Tackling the emissions associated with upstream facilities requires attention across working practices, facility design and technology

We announced Net Zero Upstream Facilities—our concept study in partnership with McDermott and IO Consulting—to define pathways to upstream carbon neutrality in October last year. The interest expressed by the industry has been tremendous, with all major players asking for details on our approach. The project echoes recent commitments taken by majors and others in the industry (see Fig. 1). Despite the economic downturn and the low prices faced by the oil and gas industry, we have witnessed no reduction in spending by oil companies on ‘green’ initiatives in the past 12 months. On the contrary, it looks as if they are all ramping up deployment of expertise and resources to address the greenhou