Despite a 5% increase in global crude production in 2022, volumes of flared gas worldwide recorded a 3% drop, reaching their lowest level since 2010. But the margin for growth is enormous, especially in Russia, Iraq and Iran.
Seven oil-producing countries in Africa are among the world’s 20 countries flaring the largest volumes of gas associated with crude production in 2022, according to a report published on March 29 by the World Bank.
These countries are in order Algeria, Libya, Nigeria, Egypt, Congo, Angola and Gabon.
With more than 8 billion m3 of gas flared in 2022, Algeria ranks fourth in the world in terms of volumes of gas flared on oil production sites, behind Russia (more than 25 billion m3), Iraq (nearly 18 billion m3) and Iran (about 17 billion m3).
The volumes of gas flared during the past year are close to 6 billion m3 in Libya and exceed 5 billion m3 in Nigeria. In each of the other four African countries in the Global Top 20, gas flared volumes are less than 2 billion m3.
The report, which is based on data from satellite imagery, also points out that nine countries (Russia, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Venezuela, United States, Mexico, Libya and Nigeria) are responsible for 74% volumes of gas flared in the world, while they account for less than 50% of world oil production.
Flaring is the practice of burning gas that comes to the surface with the oil at oil production sites. Recourse to this operation, which is manifested by a flame emerging from a flare and is accompanied by significant emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane, is justified by the absence of processing and transportation to market this so-called “associated” gas (with oil production).
The gas thus wasted could replace more polluting sources of energy, improve access to energy in some of the poorest countries in the world, and provide many others with the energy security they so desperately need.
Gradual and lasting decoupling
The report also reveals that the volumes of gas flared in the world recorded a drop of 3% during the past year, reaching their lowest level since 2010. These volumes amounted to 139 billion m3 of gas which were flared in 2022 compared to 144 billion m3 in 2021. At the same time, global crude production increased by 5%, from 77 million barrels per day in 2021 to 80 million barrels per day in 2022.
The World Bank considers in this context that this development reflects the “ gradual and lasting decoupling of oil production and flaring ”.
Three countries are responsible for the largest share of the decline in gas flaring volumes seen in 2022: Nigeria, Mexico and the United States.
Nigeria was the country that contributed the most to the decline, reducing its gas flaring volumes by 1.3 billion m3 in 2022, a 20% drop from 2021 levels.
This reduction is largely explained by the 14% drop in the country’s oil production last year. But Nigeria has also managed to reduce its flaring intensity (the amount of gas flared per barrel of oil produced), dropping it from 11.8 m3 per barrel in 2021 to 11.1 m3 per barrel in 2022.
In Mexico, oil production remained relatively stable in 2022, but the country reduced its gas flaring volumes by 13%.
For its part, the United States reduced its gas flaring volumes by 0.8 billion m3 (-9% compared to 2021), and increased its flaring intensity from 2.1 m3 per barrel in 2021 to 1.8 m3 per barrel in 2022.
In addition to the significant loss of earnings resulting from gas flaring, the World Bank also points out that the methane emissions resulting from this practice contribute substantially to global warming in the short and medium term, since the effects of this gas are 84 times more powerful than those of carbon dioxide in terms of global warming potential (GWP) over a 20-year horizon.
