Oil and gas company Repsol has received the highest fine to date from the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) for flaring and venting over 73 tonnes of gas without consent at Auk North, Halley, and Fulmar fields.
The firm has been fined £160,000 by the NSTA.
Repsol, operating the Fulmar facility in the central North Sea, had short term flare and vent consents since January 2019.
These consents covered activities related to post-cessation of production on Fulmar, Auk North, and Halley.
However, in July 2022, the NSTA notified Repsol that no valid consents were in place for the mentioned fields, emphasising the need for compliance after the consent expiration on 30th June 2022.
Jane de Lozey, NSTA Director of Regulation, said: “Reducing emissions and meeting regulatory requirements is absolutely essential if industry is going to maintain its social licence to operate.
“Repsol has engaged with the NSTA to learn from its failings on this occasion and taken steps to ensure it does not happen again.”
A Repsol spokesperson said: “We have accepted responsibility for unauthorised flaring and venting at our Auk North, Halley and Fulmar fields.
“We co-operated fully with the NSTA’s investigation and have taken steps to mitigate the possibility of any future breaches.”
