Energy Ventures B.V.

Gas flaring - the practice of burning natural gas associated with oil extraction and petroleum refining - has persisted due to a range of issues, from economic and technical constraints to lack of appropriate regulation and political will. Flaring is a monumental waste of a valuable natural resource that not only results in emissions of Green House Gases (GHG) that accelerate climate change, but it also generates other pollutants that affect the health and livelihoods of people living near gas-flaring sites.

According to the International Energy Agency, the amount of gas that is currently flared each year across the world – about 144 billion cubic meters, releasing the equivalent of about 400 million tonnes of CO₂ – could provide energy for the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 950 million people lack access to clean energy. Reliance on wood and charcoal for cooking contributes to deforestation, further increase GHG emissions and exposure to severe health risks. Whilst renewable energy is the long-term solution to these challenges, producing cooking gas from gas that otherwise would be flared is a solution that reduces emissions, provides access to energy, improves health and reduces deforestation.

The traditional approach to flare gas utilization – collecting associated gas and transporting it through a network of gas pipelines – is heavily dependent on achieving scale. Some progress has been made at sites with large and medium volume gas flares, but in the case of small-scale flares, defined as sites burning less than 5 million standard cubic feet per day (6,000 Nm³ per hour), there is very little progress. Whilst contributing about 40% of the total volume of gas flared globally, small-scale flares make up 92% of the worlds 8,120 sites according to data by Global Gas Flare Reduction (GGFR) initiative of The Worldbank.