STAVANGER, Norway, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- More than 83,000 tons of carbon emissions will be removed from the atmosphere by processing natural gas associated with a Mexican oil field, Statoil said.
Statoil announced that a joint venture with Mexican state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, to reduce gas flaring at its Tres Hermanos oil field in Mexico received U.N. registration as a clean development mechanism under the Kyoto Protocol, a first for Mexico.
Pemex has been producing oil at the field near Mexico's state of Veracruz for more than 60 years. Gas associated with the oil field wasn't used and instead was burned off.
Statoil said it was working with Pemex to eliminate three gas flare systems at the site and install a processing plant to recover gas for use in the local market.
Pemex, the Norwegian company said, can remove 83,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during the next 10 years by processing rather than flaring associated gas.
"By combining our experience and competence we have been able to develop an exciting and cost efficient project to cut CO2-emissions," Geir Heitmann, vice president for the power and emissions unit in Statoil, said in a statement.
