*Gas flaring in the Niger Delta.
*Nigeria commercialises 11% of gas production
OpeOluwani Akintayo
28 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — There cannot be an end to gas flaring globally.
This was contained in the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR’s report made available at a workshop organised for energy reporters in Lagos on Friday.
According to the report, the department categorised gas flaring into two categories: routine flaring and non-routine flaring.
Explaining, the report said routine gas flaring is the intentional burning of gas while non-routing flaring is the need to burn gas due to unexpected emergencies.
“So, what the federal government is planning to end by 2020 is the routine flaring. Non-routine flaring cannot be stopped because there is always be emergencies which could require companies to free up some pressure during production. Non-routine flaring doesn’t always happen”.
The report further said Nigeria needs dedicated exploration gas, as all the gas discovered in the country so far, have been “accidental”, adding that the country currently commercialises 11 percent of its gas production, as the rest is flared.
“We can generate double of power we produce today if we utilise the gas we flare”.
Nigeria is currently the 7th worst gas flaring country in the world.
“If Nigeria can harness its gas potential, we have the tendency to power Africa”, the report said.
As at 1998 when the country started enacting gas policies, it charged a penalty of 2 kobo per 1000 standard cubic feet of gas flaring, however, findings revealed that the penalty has since moved up to N10 per 1000scf.
