HE al-Sada with Sheikh Faisal; Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad, Qatar University president; al-Naimi and Sheikha Athba among others at the CDM workshop yesterday

QP and Maersk Oil have successfully reduced gas flaring from the Al Shaheen field to an “absolute minimum,” which is a “rare accomplishment” in the industry, a senior official said at a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) workshop in Doha yesterday.
A 90% reduction in flaring between 2007 and 2011 and more than a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions during the same period were achieved by capturing previously flared gas and turning it into clean electricity at the Al Shaheen field, Maersk Oil Qatar deputy managing director Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani said.
This, he said, has increased the national electricity supply, provided employment and transferred technical knowledge to local industry.
As a result of its approach to environmental management, the project’s gas gathering system was recognised as the world’s largest CDM project. QP’s HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate is currently working with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to validate the CDM application.
Maersk Oil Qatar operates the giant Al Shaheen oil field in close partnership with QP.
Al Shaheen is Qatar’s largest offshore oil field and is the source of around one-third of Qatar’s daily oil production.
In his keynote address at the workshop, HE the Minister of Energy and Industry, Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada stressed the importance of the CDM as a vital project that supports the pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030 as well as the National Development Strategy.
“Qatar has ratified the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and is committed to participating in the international efforts to combat climate change challenges.
“Pursuing this objective, Qatar had registered the first CDM project in the Gulf region in 2007 and paved the way to help register more of such projects from the region,” al-Sada added.
Saif al-Naimi, director, HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate, said the project itself was another milestone for the energy industry and Qatar as a whole. “The CDM project reaffirms our commitment to environmental protection,” he said.
Expressing his gratitude to al-Sada for his support, Rudiger Tscherning, director of the Energy and Environmental Law Forum, highlighted the importance of the event in light of the forthcoming 18th Conference of Parties (COP18) of the UNFCCC, which will be held in Doha from November 26 to December 7.
Tscherning said the Energy and Environmental Law Forum has rapidly grown in strength since its launch in 2011.
“Today, our CDM workshop is an excellent example of how academia and leading players in the energy and construction industry can join forces to develop ideas for a more sustainable economic development in Qatar. As we take a moment to congratulate the minister, QP and Maersk Oil Qatar for their achievement on the CDM Project, I would also like to thank Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (QDVC) for participating in the workshop,” Tscherning said.
The workshop covered CDM opportunities for the construction industry with a presentation jointly delivered by Sheikha Athba al-Thani, QDVC chief services support officer and sustainable development manager, and Guillaume Feld, general counsel.
“At QDVC, we are not only building major infrastructure for Qatar but also thinking of the future needs of the country and how we can design and carry out our projects in a more sustainable manner. This workshop is an opportunity for us to expand our knowledge and principles on sustainable public procurement while showcasing our achievements at QDVC. We would like to spread awareness and promote the best practices in the construction industry,” said Sheikha Athba.
The event was organised by Qatar Petroleum (QP) in partnership with Maersk Oil Qatar, Qatar University’s Energy and Environmental Law Forum and QDVC.
The workshop held under the patronage of al-Sada was attended by professionals from the academia, energy and construction sectors, and focused on lessons learnt from the Al Shaheen gas gathering and flare reduction project and it also explored future CDM opportunities for Qatar.

 

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