Mitigating gas flare and emission footprints via the implementation of natural gas vehicles in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper proposed Strategic Fuel Substitution Initiative (SFSI) as an intervention to managing gas flare and reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) from road transport and gas flaring in Nigeria. Data on volumes of flared gas (FG) and those of gasoline and diesel from 2001 to 2015 sourced from Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation were used in this study. Empirical formulas and relevant emission factors were utilized in estimating various parameters involving GHGs and costs as related to the fuels (CNG, gasoline and diesel). Business as usual (BAU) and SFSI scenarios was examined with baseline year as 2015. Energy equivalence of the total volume of gasoline and diesel distributed in the baseline year was 25.2% of FG. Under the BAU scenario, 2.67 × 107 t, 1.33 × 107 t, 229.5t and 6.01 × 107 t of CO2, CH4, N2O and GHGs were emitted at fuel cost of $2.05 billion. With SFSI, CO2, CH4, N2O, GHGs and cost were reduced from 2.5% to 32%, 2.2–74.6%, 5.7–72.3%, 2.4–55.6% and 41.3–80.5%, respectively, compared to BAU scenario. The implementation of SFSI appears a sustainable means of reducing FG, national GHGs, and associated environmental and health footprints in Nigeria.