Key Themes:

• Investment Incentive Framework
• Technology Solutions
• Operational Best Management Practices

About the Global Forum

Flaring and Venting of Natural Gas Wastes Resources, Harms the Environment

Flaring and venting of gas in petroleum production wastes a valuable energy resource and harms the environment. It is estimated that at least 150 billion cubic meters of gas is flared and vented every year, which is equivalent to nearly one third of the European Union’s annual gas consumption. The carbon footprint of flaring and venting exceeds 400 million tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Significant Opportunities Exist to Utilise Gas that is being Flared and Vented

Several oil producing countries and companies around the world have demonstrated that remarkable opportunities exist to utilise gas that is otherwise flared or vented. Typical gas utilisation options include re-injection, gas-to-pipeline, gas-to-power, LNG, and GTL. However, these opportunities have not been yet fully harnessed by relevant stakeholders in a number of oil producing countries.

The Global Forum Brings Key Stakeholders to Increase Gas Utilisation

This two-day Global Forum will bring together high-level representatives from governments, oil and gas companies, international financial organisations, and technology and service providers to discuss issues and options in flaring and venting reduction.

This Global Forum will be dedicated to discussing policies and regulations that enable flare and vent reduction investments. It will also look into the potential contributions of emerging gas utilisation technologies, and will provide the opportunity for sharing best practice in use of established gas utilisation technologies, and discussing opportunities to improve economics of flare and vent reduction investments. For the full agenda, please click here.

About the Forum Organisers

The Forum is organised by the Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR), Methane to Markets (M2M) international partnerships and the EPA Natural Gas STAR program.

GGFR is a World Bank-led public-private partnership that includes major oil & gas producing countries and companies. GGFR’s main activities include: assistance to governments in developing the enabling environment for flare and vent reduction investments; advice on carbon finance activities; dissemination of best practices in flare and vent reduction, and facilitation of communication between key stakeholders at the country and regional levels. To learn more about global gas flaring and the GGFR partnership, please visit: www.worldbank.org/ggfr.

The Methane to Markets Partnership and International Gas STAR Program are partnerships that facilitate cooperative methane leak and venting prevention and implementation of mitigation technologies and practices that result in bringing more gas to markets. Methane is both the primary constituent of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas when released to the atmosphere unburned through venting and fugitive leaks in the oil and natural gas industry. A large percentage of these emissions can be cost-effectively reduced by applying existing technologies or by improving operational practices. Reducing fugitive emissions and venting reduces product losses, enhances energy security, lowers methane emissions, and increases revenues. For more information, please visit: www.epa.gov/methane/index.html or www.epa.gov/gasstar/.