Just as top government officials are gathering in Bali for the UN Climate Change Conference comes news that carbon dioxide emissions at a new gas power plant in northern Norway are exceeding all limits.
![]() Burn-off of excess gas at the Melkya plant is sending carbon emission soaring. PHOTO: OLE MAGNUS RAPP |
Newspaper Aftenposten reported Tuesday that the new plant at Melkya outside the Arctic city of Hammerfest spewed out 1.1 million tons of carbon emissions just in its first two months of operation.
That’s what was planned after 10 months of operation, not just two. The plant that’s handling gas from StatoilHydro’s new Snow White field isn’t exactly proving to be a showcase for Norwegian industry’s environmental measures.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of new emissions are expected to be released when operations resume at Melkya shortly after the conference in Bali is over.
Neither the technical operations at Melkya nor emissions levels have gone as planned. Aftenposten reported that the Snow White gas field is in danger of becoming “a climate-gas nightmare” for both Norwegian politicians and StatoilHydro officials.
In 2004, Statoil won permission from state anti-pollution authorities to emit no more than 15,000 tons of carbon gas a year under “normal operations” at Melkya. As the plant opening drew nearer, studies showed that level was far too low. Earlier this year, Statoil re-applied for, and won, permission to emit 200,000 tons a year.
Technical trouble
Snow White and Melkya formally opened in late August, amidst much fanfare, and the entire industrial complex was billed as having the world’s most climate-friendly technology. Emissions from the burn-off of excess gas from production, however, ended up reaching 1.099 million tons just between August 23 and October 23.
The plant has also been plagued by technical trouble, so much so that it had to shut down and remained closed this week.
Some of the trouble, and the high emission levels, has been attributed to start-up challenges, and officials believe emissions under normal operation will be much lower.
StatoilHydro itself, though, has warned that as much as 600,000 more tons of carbon emissions may result from the next start-up, when Melkya reopens. Officials admit they were too optimistic in predicting the far lower emissions levels that they did.
Breaking promises?
Norway, after signing the Kyoto agreement, has promised that carbon emissions from 2008 to 2012 won’t exceed 1 percent more than what was emitted in 1990. Last year’s emissions in Norway, however, were fully 8 percent above 1990s levels.
Melkya’s emissions alone mean Norway is in danger of failing to fulfill its promise, unless the country is able to make dramatic cuts and buy enough climate quotas from other countries. It’s an awkward situation for Norway’s allegedly environmentally oriented left-centre government, and opposition politicians are on the offensive.
“This increase in emissions is intolerable,” says Ivar Kristiansen of the Conservatives. “If we think we’re going to teach other countries how to reduce carbon emissions, it’s wise to keep our own backyard clean first.”
Lifted and published by Korir, API/APN africanpress@getmail.nosource,aftenposteneng