Abstract

Globally, over 150 billion cubic meters of associated gas are being flared and vented annually. Africa flares 40 billion cubic meters annually in which 35 billion cubic meters are flared in sub-Saharan Africa. In Nigeria alone, gas flaring amounts to about 23 billion cubic meters per annum of the gas generated in association with crude oil production in over 100 flare sites, constituting over 13 percent of global gas flaring. This translates to greenhouse gas emission of 45 million tons of CO2 out of the global total of 400 million tons annually. Nigeria partners with the GGFR, a World Bank led public-private partnership that includes major oil and gas producing countries and companies. The GGFR was established to facilitate and support national efforts to utilize currently flared gas by promoting effective regulatory framework and tackling the constraints on gas utilization. The study essentially adopts qualitative method that relies on secondary data and applies radical environmentalism a combination of Marxism, rentierism and environmentalism as theoretical framework of analysis. The paper focuses primarily on the role of Nigeria in the GGFR vis a vis other partners; and thus, concludes that oil dependence of GGFR partners undermines the enforcement of associated gas flaring and venting reduction and elimination policy in Nigeria.

Highlights

  • Over 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas are being flared and vented annually equivalent of 25 percent of the United States’ gas consumption or 30 percent of the European Union’s gas consumption, or more than the combined gas consumption of Central and South America, and amount to approximately 30.6 billion dollars

  • So far we have been able to appraise the role of Nigeria in the World Bank Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) in implementing or enforcing associated gas flaring reduction and elimination regime

  • We noted that Nigeria through National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is partnering with GGFR to implement the Nigerian endorsed Voluntary Standard to eliminate venting and reduce flaring significantly within five to ten years by finding commercial uses for the associated gas (AG) through increased collaboration (Aniche 2015a)

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Summary

Introduction

Over 150 billion cubic metres of natural gas are being flared and vented annually equivalent of 25 percent of the United States’ gas consumption or 30 percent of the European Union’s gas consumption, or more than the combined gas consumption of Central and South America, and amount to approximately 30.6 billion dollars. The contradiction between development of productive forces of the society and the environment, and as well as the conflict between global energy security and global environmental security, explain the reason why the Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) importing oil partner countries are concerned more with increase in world oil supply from net-exporting oil partner countries than in their effort to reduce gas flaring. For Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) importing partner countries the reason is increase in crude oil supply needed to achieve global energy security, economic growth and development, and sustain industrialization. Nigeria’s partnership with the World Bank GGFR initiative is an impediment to the enforcement of associated gas flaring reduction and elimination regime

Conclusion
Recommended Timeline Implementing the Voluntary Standard
Findings
X under Goal of
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