Forum on gas flaring reduction to be held in Oman
By IANSWednesday, May 5, 2010
Abu Dhabi, May 5 (IANS/WAM) A forum to discuss gas flaring reduction, a major environmental hazard related to petroleum industry, would be held in Oman May 10-11.
The World Bank led Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR) and the United Arab Emirates based energy company Masdar would co-host the first Middle East and North Africa Forum on Gas Flaring Reduction and Gas utilization.
The forum will bring together global oil and gas companies, technology and service providers and regional government agencies to analyze the challenges faced by flaring reduction projects across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
Gas flaring, the process of burning-off associated gas from wells, hydrocarbon processing plants or refineries, either as a means of disposal or as a safety measure to relieve pressure, is now recognized as a major environmental problem, contributing some 400 million tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide to (equivalent to more than one percent of global CO2 emissions).
“This forum is extremely important, as gas flaring has significant environmental and economic consequences that need to be addressed. Reducing flaring and increasing the utilization of natural gas is a concrete contribution to energy efficiency and climate change mitigation,” says Paulo de Sa, manager of the World Bank’s Oil, Gas and Mining Policy division.
–IANS/WAM
