Energy experts call for use of gas for productive purposes, decry flaring
Energy experts have decried the continued flaring of gas in Nigeria, urging the authorities to turn this harmful practice into an opportunity for power generation and other economic uses for the benefit of the country.
The experts who spoke on Thursday, in Lagos, at the ABC Economic Update, hosted by the American Business Council(ABC) in partnership with Women In Energy Network (WIEN), noted that gas flaring is a major source of greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming which could accelerate the problem of climatic change and harsh living conditions on earth, if not checked.
They spoke on the topic Energizing Nigeria: Navigating Challenges, Harnessing Opportunities.
Gas flaring, they also said, releases carbon dioxide and methane, the two major greenhouse gases and called on the Nigerian government to expedite actions on outright cessation of the menace in the country.
Quoting the World Bank report, they said that gas flaring costs the global economy $20billion in 2018, while the Nigerian economy lost N233 billion ($761.6 million) ,which translates to 3.8% of the global total cost in 2018.
The percentage of gas flared in Nigeria has been reducing since 2002 and stood at 10% in 2018 but the country still ranks in the top 10 gas flaring countries in the world, with 7.4 billion cubic feet in 2018, which has remained a source of concern.
Total gas flared in Nigeria accounted for 6.9% of the top 10 gas glaring countries in 2018, meaning that efforts should be intensified to end completely routine gas flaring to starve off climate change and other associated problems.
Speaking on the sub-theme, Environmental Stewardship: Climate Change and Gas Flaring, moderated by Wola Joseph-Condotti, a founding member of WIEN, the immediate past General Manager External Relations of Nigeria LNG Limited and President WIEN, Mrs. Eyono Fatayi-Williams, expressed concern over the continued gas flaring in the country.
She however noted that the government has been making appreciable effort to stop gas flaring in the country, adding that the effort has led to reduction to 10 % from about 53%.
The government has done a lot of interventions and, so is in the right direction, said the WIEN President who called for the use of gas for productive purposes, adding that governments can put in place a range of effective regulations and policies to incentivize and encourage gas flaring cessation in the country.
While commending the government regulatory agencies, she stressed the need for collaboration between government and stakeholders, especially the local communities that are affected by the menace of gas flaring to give them a sense of belonging.
On the 10%of gas that is still being flared, Fatai-Williams advised the government to involve the local communities. To reduce it to zero.
There is need for government to dialogue with local communities so that everybody will be carried along. Regulatory agencies, communities should take part in that process; it is their community, she said
More collaborative approach, regulatory oversight, capacity building in the local communities, investing in technology and infrastructure.
Other speakers at the panel said the gas flaring is an economic waste, a waste of one of the world’s most useful and flexible energy sources, noting that the amount flared in Nigeria is essentially enough to power the entire country.
They also said the resource being wasted could be used to improve the quality of life for millions of people in Nigeria, adding that it could be channelled to the development of agricultural sector of the country
They also noted that developments in small-scale gas utilization technologies have also greatly improved the potential for associated gas use in recent years
Oil producers can either re-inject associated gas or use it for productive purposes.
