A hydrocarbon release (HCR) reporting system was set up in 1992 by the Health and Safety Executive following a recommendation made by Lord Cullen in his report on the Piper Alpha disaster. HCR information is regarded within the industry as an offshore installation management performance indicator.
The latest available figures – for the six months ending September 2011 – record the date of each HCR, company and installation details as well as the amount and type of substance released. Based on this information, the largest gas leak was 520lb on August 26 from the Buzzard installation.
Claymore Alpha, owned by Talisman Energy, was responsible for releasing a total of almost 100lb of gas on four occasions. Former energy secretary Chris Huhne said the environmental impact of gas condensate leaks is much lower than from oil spills.