Mission Zero: UK’s net zero review raises the bar on gas flaring reduction and urges better reporting

3 days ago, a former Energy Minister (Chris Skidmore) published a wide-ranging report called “Mission Zero” that outlined how the UK can capitalise on its comparative advantages and continue to lead the global race to net zero. The report is very wide-ranging – and well worth a read.

Good to see that the report acknowledges the important role of the UK’s North Sea in the transition – but also very good to see a few recommendations stand out on flaring and methane:

Firstly, the report recommends that the UK’s commitment to end routine flaring is accelerated from 2030 to 2025, on par with the commitment from Shell:

This is important, as according to submitted data, 22% of oil and gas emissions are from flaring, and oil and gas emissions are 4% of the UK’s net greenhouse emissions:

Secondly, the report also recommends that asset and /or company level reporting is required on flaring. Whilst the UK’s regulator has made some step-changes in reporting transparency, we believe this recommendation is also very important.

We think both recommendations are very sound and important not only for the UK’s net zero strategy, but also for the UK’s oil and gas industry competitiveness.

Below: global league table of flaring – showing the UK as one of the better-performing countries.

Cover image credit – Dall-E