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Definition of Gas Flaring

Gas flaring is the process by which excess natural gas is released from an oil field and burned. The excess gas can be produced during drilling and extraction of oil. This "associated gas", a waste by-product, under these circumstances, can be used to generate electricity; however, necessary infrastructure, a suitable market and sufficient price structure must be in place before waste becomes energy.

  1. The Process

    • Gas flaring is implemented at oil drilling sites (on and offshore), refineries, natural gas plants, chemical plants and landfills. The process releases gas from pipes in wells, or through smoke stacks at plants, and burns it. Under these circumstances, gas flaring is done to release unsafe pressure and is considered minimal. Under different scenarios, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, gas flaring is done for higher volumes, because the oil is of greater value and flaring is an inexpensive way of dealing with waste. Gas venting is a similar process but the gas is not burned upon release into the atmosphere.

    Infrastructure and Market

    • The United States Government Accounting Office estimates that worldwide gas flaring and venting could produce 3% of all natural gas marketed in the world, enough to meet France and Germany's gas needs for a year. However, the infrastructure to capture the associated gas and transport it to market does not exist. In order to do so, the gas would have to be converted to liquefied natural gas (LNG), a costly procedure.

    Liquified Natural Gas

    • Gas well

      LNG is produced when liquid is added to natural gas necessary to make it transportable across oceans. When it arrives on continents needed natural gas it is converted back to a gas and transported across land with conventional pipelines. LNG requires expenditures to build specialized conversion systems at ports on either side of the supply chain and pipelines from associated gas fields to the ports.

    Environmental Impacts

    • Gas flaring is problematic because it releases a lot of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. Closer to the ground at specific gas flaring locations, vegetation burns, crops cease to grow and nearby villagers complain of lung ailments.

    Natural Gas Prices

    • Natural gas prices are the key to the elimination of gas flaring. When natural gas prices rise and stay consistently higher over time, an indication of dwindling convenient supplies, oil companies operating in African and the Middle East will expend capital to harness the associated gas, convert it to LNG and transport it to market. For example, in Nigeria, gas prices are not high enough for the government to disturb oil industry practices within its sovereignty. Gas flaring is so prevalent it has been identified from satellite imagery and is causing many environmental problems, but oil revenues are responsible for most of Nigeria's economy, making it easy to postpone tougher gas flaring policies.

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