Gas Flaring in Nigeria Has Reduced by 30% in 10 Years

Nigeria’s effort to reduce gas flaring is on track as the volume of gas flared dropped by 30.07% between 2012 and 2021, from 9.62 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas flared in 2012 to 6.63 bcm in 2021.

This feat was achieved by the country commissioning and starting major projects to recover, and export flared gases during production. However, while the country recorded a decrease in big production fields, smaller fields’ volume flared has not improved.

These projects saw the volume drop steadily from 9.62 bcm in 2012 to 7.32 bcm in 2016. It increased to 7.65 bcm in 2017 and dropped in 2018. After increasing in 2019, it dropped all through to 2021.

The country introduced the Nigeria Gas Flaring Commercialisation Program (NGFCP) to provide a market solution to flared gas in oil fields. It offered a commercialisation option for flared gas to competent investors. This has seen flared gas being captured for fuel and feedstock, enhancing the utilisation of flared gas and reducing wastage in the process.

The volume of gas flared over the years at production fields recorded a significant decrease. In 2021, the field with the highest volume flared 369.98 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas. This volume decreased in 2021 to 241.26 mcm. This shows a reduction in the highest field by 128.72 mcm or 34.79%.

Also, the records in 2012 showed that at least 100 mcm was flared in 30 oil fields across the country. This number has reduced to 21 oil fields in 2021.

Gas Flaring Intensity Has Increased

Though the country reduced the volume of gas flared over the years, it did not achieve a similar result with gas flaring intensity.

Gas flaring intensity, the volume of flared gas (cubic meters) per barrel of output produced, increased from 10.73 m3/b in 2012 to 11.75 m3/b in 2021. This implies a 9.5% increase in flaring intensity between 2012 and 2021.

Though the intensity did not increase steadily over the years, Increase and decrease has fluctuated from year to year. It increased from 10.73 m3/b in 2012 to 11.09 m3/b in 2013. It recorded a decline in the two subsequent years before increasing again in  2016 and 2017. It, however, experienced an increase for the last four consecutive years.

The number of oil production fields that recorded the volume of gas flaring increased in 2021. A total of 168 oil production fields across the country were reported to have at least 0.1 mcm of gas flare in 2012. This number increased to 180 oil fields in 2021. 

Nigeria, amongst other countries committed to the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) Initiative. Alongside seven others (Russia, Iraq, Iran, the United States, Venezuela, and Algeria) in the top 10 gas flaring countries in the world, Nigeria recorded a decrease in volume flared over the last ten years.

While the country has recorded some progress, it can attain more if it can commit attention to smaller fields with the same intensity as larger fields.