Gas Flaring: An Unfinished Agenda in Global Emission Control

• Gas flaring is a long-standing but under-addressed environmental concern in the global energy sector. 
• The World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report 2024 indicates a 7% rise in global gas flaring in 2023 over the previous year, resulting in 23 million tonnes of additional CO₂ emissions. 
• This increase not only undermines international climate targets but also reflects the persistent infrastructural and policy gaps in the oil and gas industry.

What is Gas Flaring?

• Gas flaring is the process of burning off natural gas that is released as a by-product during crude oil extraction. 
• This flaring typically occurs when oil fields are unequipped to capture, store, or transport the gas often in remote or offshore drilling sites.
• There are two primary types of gas flaring:
  • Routine flaring: Regular and predictable flaring during oil production.
  • Emergency flaring: Done to relieve pressure or during equipment failure for safety.

Why is Gas Flaring Practiced?

Safety Measures

• Gas flaring helps avoid gas accumulation and pressure build-up that could lead to fires or explosions.
• In volatile environments like deep-sea or desert oil wells, flaring is a risk mitigation strategy.

Economic Constraints

• Many oil-producing regions, especially in developing countries, lack the infrastructure (pipelines, storage facilities) to collect and utilize the associated gas.
• For companies, flaring is cheaper than building gas-processing units in isolated locations.

Logistical Challenges

• Remote and inaccessible oil fields make it difficult to transport gas to consumption centres.
• Often, the volume of gas is too small or irregular to justify recovery infrastructure.

Environmental and Economic Impact

Environmental Costs

• Flaring releases CO₂, methane (CH₄), black carbon (soot), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
• Methane, though released in smaller amounts, is 84 times more potent than CO₂ in trapping heat over a 20-year period.
• Black carbon contributes to glacial melting, especially in the Arctic.

Economic Waste

• According to the World Bank, flaring annually wastes about 140 billion cubic meters of gas—enough to power Sub-Saharan Africa.
• In energy-starved economies, this is a critical loss of a usable resource.

Top Gas Flaring Countries (2023 Data)

• The five largest contributors to global gas flaring are:
  • Russia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • United States
  • Algeria
• Together, they account for over 50% of total flared volumes globally. 
• These countries face a mix of infrastructural deficits, geopolitical issues, and policy inertia.

Global Response Mechanisms

Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 (ZRF) Initiative

• Launched by the World Bank in 2015, this initiative aims to eliminate all routine flaring by 2030.
• Governments and oil companies participating in the initiative commit to adopt flaring alternatives and develop infrastructure.

Satellite Monitoring

• The World Bank and partner agencies now use satellite data to track and publicly report gas flaring activities worldwide, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Carbon Markets and Penalties

• Some countries have introduced carbon pricing mechanisms or emission trading schemes (ETS) to disincentivize flaring.
• Carbon credit systems can encourage firms to capture and utilize gas instead of flaring it.

Technological Alternatives to Flaring

• Gas Re-injection: Pumping the gas back into oil reservoirs to maintain pressure and enhance oil recovery.
• On-site Power Generation: Using the gas to generate electricity for nearby communities or oil field operations.
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) conversion for local or export use.
• Mini-GTL (Gas to Liquid) Plants: Convert flared gas into usable liquid fuels like diesel.

Challenges to Implementation

• High upfront cost for setting up gas capture and transportation infrastructure.
• Weak regulation in oil-producing developing nations.
• Corruption and lack of political will, often driven by short-term profits.
• Geopolitical conflicts in countries like Iraq, Libya, and Venezuela which prevent investment.

India’s Position and Opportunity

• Though India is not a major oil producer, it has a role to play:
  • Indian companies like ONGC and Reliance can invest in flaring reduction technology in overseas projects.
  • As a member of the International Solar Alliance and Methane Pledge, India can push for global methane and flaring reduction commitments.
  • India can import gas from flaring-reduction projects, improving energy security.