Gas flaring to stop year end
12:12 am
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Oil firms in the country are expected to stop gas flaring by the end of this year according to the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB which is now close to being fanalised.
Nigeria, has long pledged but failed to end flaring, thus remaining as the world’s second biggest burner of gas associated with crude oil production after Russia.
“Natural gas shall not be flared or vented after 31st December, 2012, in any oil and gas production operation, block or field, onshore or offshore, or gas facility,” except under exceptional and temporary circumstances, says Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
“Any licensee who flares or vents gas without the permission of the Minister in (special) circumstances … shall be liable to pay a fine which shall not be less than the value of gas.”
Nigeria flared some 30 billion standard cubic feet of gas in January, according to the latest figures from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
That is equivalent to a third of the annual consumption of an industrialised country like the United Kingdom.
Of that, ExxonMobil topped the list, flaring 9.85 billion cubic feet out of 38.64 billion produced, while Chevron flared 8.25 billion cubic feet out of 19.23 billion.
Leading operator Shell, which runs Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, flared 5.44 billion cubic feet, a relatively small part of the 76.4 billion it produced.
All have been criticised by environmental groups, but the oil majors retort that they would be happy to trap all of the gas if the government provided them with a market for it.
Nigeria, has long pledged but failed to end flaring, thus remaining as the world’s second biggest burner of gas associated with crude oil production after Russia.
“Natural gas shall not be flared or vented after 31st December, 2012, in any oil and gas production operation, block or field, onshore or offshore, or gas facility,” except under exceptional and temporary circumstances, says Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
“Any licensee who flares or vents gas without the permission of the Minister in (special) circumstances … shall be liable to pay a fine which shall not be less than the value of gas.”
Nigeria flared some 30 billion standard cubic feet of gas in January, according to the latest figures from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
That is equivalent to a third of the annual consumption of an industrialised country like the United Kingdom.
Of that, ExxonMobil topped the list, flaring 9.85 billion cubic feet out of 38.64 billion produced, while Chevron flared 8.25 billion cubic feet out of 19.23 billion.
Leading operator Shell, which runs Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant, flared 5.44 billion cubic feet, a relatively small part of the 76.4 billion it produced.
All have been criticised by environmental groups, but the oil majors retort that they would be happy to trap all of the gas if the government provided them with a market for it.
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