![]() ![]() This can make it logistically and economically challenging to transport associated gas to where it can be processed and utilized. These sites are hard to access and may not produce consistent or large volumes of associated gas that operators can use. In many cases, oil fields are located in remote and inaccessible places. Gas flaring allows operators to de-pressurize their equipment and manage unpredictable and large pressure variations by burning any excess gas. Although rare, industrial accidents involving oil and gas can result in destructive, dangerous, and long-lasting fires that are difficult to contain and control. During crude oil extraction, a sudden or dramatic increase in pressure could cause an explosion. Extracting and processing oil and gas involves dealing with exceptionally high, and changeable, pressures. Utilizing associated gas often requires economically viable markets for companies to make the investments necessary to capture, transport, process, and sell the gas.įlaring may be required for safety reasons. Image: Ed Kashi/World Bank Why is gas flared?įlaring persists to this day because it is a relatively safe, though wasteful and polluting, method of disposing of the associated gas that comes from oil production. For instance, the amount of gas currently flared each year – about 140 billion cubic meters – could power the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. Flaring is a waste of a valuable natural resource that should either be used for productive purposes, such as generating power, or conserved. It takes place due to a range of issues, from market and economic constraints, to a lack of appropriate regulation and political will. The practice has persisted since the beginning of oil production over 160 years ago. Gas flaring is the burning of the natural gas associated with oil extraction. How can we reduce the amount of gas being flared?.What are the environmental impacts of gas flaring?.
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