First regional gas flaring reduction forum in Muscat -
By A Staff Reporter -
MUSCAT — In an effort to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions worldwide, the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR) and Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multifaceted renewable energy initiative, are co-hosting the first Middle East and North Africa Forum on Flaring Reduction and Gas Utilisation to be held in Muscat, on May 10 to 11.
The forum will bring together representatives of oil and gas companies, technology and service providers, financiers and regional government agencies to analyse the specific challenges and opportunities of flaring reduction projects across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and understand how carbon finance could make flaring reduction projects more economically viable.
Gas flaring, the process of burning-off associated gas from oil wells and hydrocarbon processing plants either as a means of disposal or as a safety measure, is today recognised as a major environmental problem, contributing some 400 million tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide.
It also has major economic implications, with significant volumes of a valuable natural resource being wasted.
MENA is the second major flaring region of associated gas in the world. The region flares about 30 billion cubic metres (bcm) of associated gas (20 per cent of total global flaring), enough to feed a 20 MT LNG plant, or six medium LNG trains.
Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait are among the top 20 flaring countries in the world.
Over the past few years several of these countries have demonstrated a strong commitment to tackle the challenges surrounding gas flaring reduction.
“This MENA forum is extremely important, as gas flaring has significant environmental and economic consequences that need to be addressed,” says Paulo de Sa, manager of the World Bank’s Oil, Gas and Mining Policy division. “Reducing flaring and increasing the utilisation of natural gas is a concrete contribution to energy efficiency and climate change mitigation.”
Sam Nader, Director of Masdar’s Carbon Management Unit, adds: “The forum, the first of its kind in the Middle East, will allow us to examine the regulatory and commercial barriers that prevent the implementation of gas flaring reduction projects; and highlight best practices and case studies that have been able to overcome barriers to gas recovery and utilisation, including the role of the Clean Development Mechanism to enhance the viability of such projects.”
Flaring or burning of natural gas occurs most often in remote areas where there is no gas transportation infrastructure or local gas markets. Since its inception in 2002 the GGFR partnership has encouraged more vigorous efforts to eliminate flaring, such as re-injecting it into the ground to boost oil production, converting it into liquefied natural gas for shipment, transporting it to markets via pipelines, or using it on site for generation of electricity.
The regional forum, which is also supported by authorities of the Sultanate of Oman and sponsored by several companies, will bring together relevant stakeholders in a platform for dialogue, best practices exchange, and potential business opportunities.
Some of the sponsors include: Petroleum Development Oman, Oman LNG, Qalhat LNG and PriceWaterhouseCoopers.
