Page 8 - AfrOil Week 24

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Tracking flaring in Africa
algERia
GAS aring in Africa amounted to 30.3 bcm in 2018, according to recent data distributed by the World Bank’s Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership (GGFR). is was up marginally from the 30 bcm recorded the previous year. Total aring reached 145 bcm in 2018, up 3%. GGFR uses information from satellites to drive its estimates.
The statement on the flaring noted the increase in the US, where this increased by 48% year-on-year, driven by activity in shale plays, which lack su cient gas takeaway. It also noted an increase from Venezuela, which it said indi- cated a “state in crisis”.
Flaring also increased in Libya, bucking the African trend. is increased from 2.4 bcm in 2016 to 4.7 bcm in 2018. GGFR did not attempt to explain the Libyan increase but it may be this has increased as oil production is restored but with damage done to infrastructure.
e statement did, though, note progress in Angola, where aring fell by 27% to 2.8 bcm in 2018. GGFR said associated gas that would have been ared was being exported via the Angola LNG plant, “a positive development for the country’s strategy to reduce gas aring”.
Nigeria has struggled to contain its flares, with the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP) as its latest initiative. is programme is intended to allow companies to o ake gas that would have been ared. is has been combined with increased nes for aring and sti penalties for failing to provide data.
Royal Dutch Shell has said that of its total aring in 2018, 35% came from its onshore joint
venture in Nigeria, Shell Petroleum Develop- ment Co. (SPDC). is has been reduced by 50% since 2014, it said, and the unit is working to end continuous aring. Some of the indigenous com- panies, which have moved into onshore produc- tion, acquiring assets from the foreign majors, will be able to reduce aring better than others.
e question of accuracy in terms of track- ing flaring is important. The World Bank’s numbers have Nigeria at 7.6 bcm in 2017, while the government’s statistics suggest this was actually 9.18 bcm.
e top aring state in Africa in 2018 was Algeria, according to the GGFR. A presenta- tion from the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment has suggested the North African country has seen aring rise since 2012 as a result of a lack of new investments, coupled with maturing oil elds, which generate more associated gas.™
African gas flaring
10 99 8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
2014
Algeria
2015
Nigeria Libya Angola
4.5
2016
4.7
2.8
2017 2018
Egypt Congo Brazzaville
Gabon
P8
w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m Week 24 18•June•2019
Bcm