Nigeria has flared 216.5 billion standard cubic feet of gas, eleven months after its commitment in November last year to reach net zero by 2060, according to the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).
The data was obtained via the Nigeria Gas Flare Tracker (GFT), a satellite-based technology created by NOSDRA.
According to GFT, from November 2021 to September 2022, the flared gas emitted 11.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, worth $757.9 million.
Furthermore, the gas flared has a power generation potential of 21.7 thousand gigawatts hour (GWh).
The satellite flaring data comes from the VIIRS Nightfire (VNF) data product, developed and produced by the Earth Observation Group (EOG) at the Colorado School of Mines. Every 24 hours, a new VNF data set is produced, with locations, temperatures, source sizes and radiant heat from infrared emitters worldwide.
There are over 178 flare sites in Nigeria, which emit poisonous chemicals that make people sick and damage the farming and fishing industries, at the same time causing acid rain, cancer, and a host of respiratory problems.
In addition, gas flaring does not only show environmental impact but also shows economic losses because these gases can be utilised locally by power companies and other wholesale energy consumers or even exported.
“I think the net zero commitment requires substantial funding and the country cannot, at the moment, provide such financing,” said Ayodele Oni, energy lawyer and partner at Bloomfield law firm.
“Hydrocarbon production will necessarily lead to flares and one option is to release the flare into the atmosphere or fund projects to utilise the flare.”
Read also: How Nigeria’s oil & gas sector can navigate energy transition
Oni further said it would appear that those projects and or funding for curbing gas flaring are not immediately available. Hence, the release of gas into the atmosphere continues.
Janet Ogunkoya, senior research analyst at Tellimer Energy told BusinessDay that stopping gas flares requires investments in gas infrastructure to be able to process gas.
“Much like what Seplat is doing with the ANOH gas project to utilise gas,” she said.
“However, it is really capital intensive. The 300mmscfd ANOH gas project from Seplat required about $700 million in investment. To curb flares, Nigeria needs to attract investors.”
According to the World Bank, gas flaring has persisted from the beginning of oil production over 160 years ago and takes place due to market and economic constraints, lack of appropriate regulations and political will.
It also said the amount of gas that is currently flared each year-about 144 billion standard cubic feet –could power the whole of sub-Saharan Africa.
Furthermore, Nigeria’s inability to commence the gas flare commercialisation programme approved by the government in 2016 is said to be limiting efforts to end flaring.
The Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) is an ambitious plan to sell over 700 million scf of gas a day flared at 178 different sites. The programme is set to restart under the new regulatory agency formed by the Petroleum Industry Act.
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