CNOOC adopts green construction on Bohai Sea

China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the country's largest offshore oil explorer, adheres to green development to better protect the ecological environment of the Bohai Sea when drawing resources from it.

The company is building an offshore oil and gas field in Penglai, East China's Shandong province. The landscape around the site is complicated, which poses construction challenges.

The company said an environmentally-friendly approach is a top priority from the early stages of design and construction to maintenance and disassembly, and improves use of resources and reduces emissions and energy consumption.

For example, the company uses LED lights and upgraded central air conditioners, expecting to save more than 15,000 metric tons of standard coal equivalent, said Wang Xin, manager of the quality, health, safety and environmental protection department of Offshore Oil Engineering Co Ltd, a subsidiary of CNOOC in charge of energy conservation and emission reduction.

Workers use recycled building materials and advanced water treatment techniques. They also use innovative construction methods that need no hoisting or spidermen to put the blocks together, which helps guarantee worker safety and improves efficiency by 30 percent. The company also has experience in cyclic utilization of materials when tearing down offshore facilities.

The project expects to reduce emission of carbon dioxide by up to 110,000 tons, equal to planting 6.1 million trees. Company data show that from 2016 to 2017, the project has saved up to 1,100 metric tons of standard coal equivalent and annual operation costs up to 9.2 million yuan.

CNOOC said it will emphasize green manufacturing in future projects to maintain stable production of offshore oil and gas fields on the Bohai Sea and protect the marine ecological environment.