International Experts Workshops on Carbon Management and its Implications:
1st Global Methane Initiative (GMI) for Oil and Gas Sector Workshop and Exhibition
in the Middle East and The International Experts Workshop on the Adverse Social and
Economic Impacts of Mitigation Measures

Wednesday, 29 May 2015

The International Experts Workshop on the Adverse Social and Economic Impacts of Mitigation Measures was opened on Wednesday morning by Chair Khalid Abuleif, Saudi Arabia. Macharia Kamau, Co-Facilitator of the Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations, moderated the first session which framed the issue within the context of sustainable development. He highlighted that the objective of the workshop is to discuss efforts towards advancing sustainable development and tackling climate change.

The UNFCCC Secretariat presented the status of response measures under the UNFCCC process, recalling relevant decisions adopted by parties over 23 years. Various perspectives were then presented.

In the afternoon, participants addressed climate change and literature in a session moderated by Eduardo Calvo, San Marcos University, Peru. An overview of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) was presented. Participants highlighted the need to consider the intended and unintended consequences of mitigation policies while also recognizing that mitigation cannot be delayed. Chinese, African and Bahraini perspectives were provided, and participants noted the challenge of including more literature and research from developing countries in IPCC reports.

The session on tourism was moderated by Amjad Abdullah, the Maldives. Participants highlighted the importance of tourism for developing countries in the context of economic development and diversification. The Bahamas presented a case study regarding the impact of response measures on tourism, highlighting the country's vulnerability to sea level rise. UNDP discussed interrelationships between climate change and tourism. The Maldives gave a presentation on the potential impacts of mitigation measures on tourism, highlighting the strong link between GDP growth and tourism within the Maldives and the current reliance on fossil fuels.

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Tuesday, 28 May 2015

On Tuesday morning, participants considered methane emissions reduction project evaluation and implementation. A variety of practices for reducing emissions and their related economics were outlined, including mitigation options for: pneumatic controllers, fugitives, reciprocating and centrifugal compressors, glycol dehydrators, storage tanks, casinghead gas, well venting during completions, and liquids unloading.

Saudi Aramco and international partners shared experiences and case studies. Saudi Aramco discussed volatile organic compound (VOC) emission control at bulk plants. Saudi Aramco’s commitment to environmental protection by minimizing VOCs and other hydrocarbon emissions was emphasized, and the process of installing vapor recovery units at major bulk plants highlighted. Methane mitigation initiatives and steps taken to minimize exposure to benzene in India were considered. The Kuwait Oil Company’s air emissions management strategy aimed at reducing gas flaring was presented. It was noted that flaring reductions have been achieved by: prioritizing flare reduction; investing in state-of-the-art facilities and operations; and cooperating with the Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership. Case studies were presented by two oil and gas partners. Existing and proposed emission reduction practices, including flare gas recovery and engine starting system retrofit from Indonesia, were highlighted. Saudi Aramco provided an overview of the company’s Leak Detection and Repair Programme (LDAR).

Closing the meeting, Khalid Abuleif, Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Recourses, Saudi Arabia, thanked the organizers, presenters, and participants for their efforts. He underscored that technology provides solutions to global environmental challenges, noting that this technical workshop is conducive to further mitigation of methane emissions. He then closed the workshop at 10:58am.

After lunch, participants went on a field trip to the Saudi Aramco Engineering Solutions Center in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

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Monday, 27 May 2015

The International Experts Workshops on Carbon Management and its Implications: Global Methane Initiative Workshop and Exhibition opened on Monday, 27 April at Le Meridien Hotel, Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

Welcoming participants during the opening session, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Vice Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia, noted that his country is committed to building capacity to overcome global environmental challenges, underscoring technology and adaptation to address climate change. Khalid Al-Falih, President and CEO, Saudi Aramco, emphasized that Saudi Aramco recognizes the importance of environmental stewardship alongside managing energy demands. Joseph Westphal, US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, lauded Saudi Arabia’s strong leadership in responsible sustainable development and welcomed Saudi Arabia’s actions on methane mitigation. Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary, UNFCCC Secretariat noted the important challenge of decoupling global gross domestic product from global greenhouse gases. She highlighted two key issues from the Gulf perspective: cleaner production and transportation of natural gas; and economic diversification.

During presentations, Saudi Aramco’s environmental protection policy aimed at achieving local environmental objectives while contributing to global environmental benefits was highlighted. The US EPA discussed the cost effective nature of methane reduction strategies, mentioning several co-benefits such as improved air quality, industrial safety and energy security. The CCAC provided an overview of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) aimed at enabling partner companies to fully understand and flexibly manage their emissions over time. Saudi Aramco presented its flaring minimization programme. Other presentations focused on: the OGMP reporting mechanism; methane emissions and mitigation opportunities; and methane emissions detection and measurement techniques, equipment and costs.

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