Explainer: What’s gas flaring and how does it affect Nigerians?
Despite being Africa’s largest oil-producing country, the Nigerian oil and gas industry has faced challenges that have negatively impacted the sector’s growth.
From refineries that ran a loss of ₦366.5 billion from 2010 to 2023, to oil theft which is believed to cost the nation $700 million monthly, gas flaring is one of the problems plaguing the industry.
On Tuesday, July 10, 2023, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) announced that they intercepted an 800,000 litres capacity vessel with stolen crude oil.
“Further investigation into the activities of the vessel at the NNPC Ltd. Command and Control Centre also revealed that the vessel has been operating in stealth mode for the last twelve (12) years. The last reported location of the vessel was Tin Can Port in July 2011,” the statement reads in part.
However, Nigeria, with 209.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven gas reserves, can be regarded as a gas-producing nation, with huge economic benefits as gas is regarded as being more environmentally friendly than crude oil.
Why gas is flared
Between 2021 and the first six months of 2022, Nigeria lost ₦891 billion to gas flaring according to data from Nigerian Oil Spill Monitor, an arm of the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA). In 2018, PwC reported that Nigeria lost ₦233 billion, which represents 3.8% of global total cost.
Gas flaring, which is the burning of natural gas associated with oil extraction, is believed to be a contributing factor to soot dominance in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Nwala Stephen, a petroleum engineer, who wrote a research work on “Crude Oil — The Black Gold: A Blessing to Nigeria, A Curse to the Niger Delta?” told Neusroom that there are many reasons why gas is flared, despite its environmental and economic pitfalls.
“One of the reasons why gas is flared is due to the lack of a gas processing system on the rig site. If the rig lacks the facilities to store gas being produced during the extraction of oil, the gas is flared. This in turn helps to depressurize wells in the event of hitting gas caps and reduce excess bottom hole pressure due to gas.”
What’s the cost of gas flaring?
The costs of gas flaring are both economic and environmental. Economically, gas flaring represents a lost opportunity to generate revenue from the sale of natural gas. Between 2012 and 2022, Nigeria flared an estimated 80 billion standard cubic metres of gas worth about ₦9 trillion.
Environmentally, gas flaring is a major contributor to climate change. When natural gas is flared, it releases large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Methane is also a major contributor to smog and acid rain.
Flaring of gas is also considered one of the major reasons for soot in Port Harcourt.
“Flaring from the Eleme Refinery, the Port-Harcourt Refining Company as well as illegal artisanal refining are the major cause of soot in Port Harcourt,” Nwala said.
Soot is a black fine particles that result due to incomplete combustion. While data on soot-related death in Port Harcourt remains sketchy, soot has been linked to cancer of lungs, respiratory diseases, and bronchitis.
Gas flaring can also have a negative impact on the social and economic well-being of communities. The fumes from gas flares can make it difficult to breathe, and they can also damage crops and livestock. This can lead to food insecurity and economic hardship.
What are the solutions to gas flaring?
There are a number of solutions to gas flaring. One solution is to reinject the gas into the ground. This process, called “gas reinjection,” can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the overall efficiency of oil production.
“To reduce gas flaring in offshore vessels, we can draw lessons from Total’s Egina drillship nicknamed the ‘green ship’. This is so named because Egina drillship does not flare gases, hence the green paint coating used on its hull. Rather, unused produced gas is re-injected into its microturbines which are gas-powered and act as prime movers,” Nwala said.
The government of Nigeria has also taken some steps to reduce gas flaring. In 2021, the government passed the Petroleum Industrial Act which penalises companies for flaring gas. However, while the percentage of gas flared has been reducing since 2002, Nigeria is among the top seven countries that flare gas.
