Largest fine to date for unsanctioned North Sea gas release
Repsol will have to pay £160,000 for the series of offences
Last updated 13th Dec 2023
An oil and gas company has been handed the highest fine to date by the North Sea regulator for flaring and venting more than 73 tonnes of gas without permission.
Repsol will have to pay £160,000 for the series of offences, which took place across the Auk North, Halley and Fulmar fields in Scottish waters last year.
The NSTA said the fine recognises Repsol's failure may undermine public trust and confidence in the oil and gas industry, and raises questions about the company's attention to regulatory compliance.
Repsol was given a sanction notice on December 5, and was told it must pay the fine within 30 days of the notice being given.
NSTA director of regulation Jane de Lozey 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.
"We will continue to ensure that operators comply with regulations in the North Sea and will not hesitate to take action on the occasions that they do not.
"The NSTA is always ready to work with operators to ensure they remain in compliance, or bring them back into compliance."
Repsol is a multinational company with a worldwide presence.
Its headquarters is in Madrid, Spain, and according to Forbes, it was the 320th largest company in the world as of 2022.
The Fulmar facility is situated east of Dundee in the central North Sea.
A spokesperson for Repsol Resources UK 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."