MEMBER representing Sagbama-Ekeremor Federal Constituency, in the House of Representatives, Mr Fred Agbedi has said that gas flaring in the Niger Delta region cannot be completely eliminated as being canvassed.
Agbedi, who is the House Committee Chairman on Gas, yesterday, in an interview with Vanguard said the oil companies need to burn some quantity of gas in the course of crude oil exploration and production. He however, assured that steps are being taken by the Federal Government to scale down the volume of gas flared in the region.
His words, “The Federal Government is taking few steps to see how gas flaring can be reduced or eliminated. And that is why it is also coming out with policies of offtakers of the gas that is being flared.
“Once the contracting of gas flare to offtakers is concluded, there will be companies which will take the flared gas which will largely reduce gas flaring. “But the fact remains, you need some quantity of gas to be burned for the production to also take place.
“Even when the offtakers are taking what they are supposed to take as quantity of gas that is being flared, there will be some kind of industrial flare that is going to take place for the process of exploration of crude oil to take place.
“You cannot completely lock it down. What the Federal Government and the world over are aiming at, is to reduce gas flaring to such an extent that it no longer causes challenge to the environment and the atmosphere.
That is what the government is working towards and it will take some time to get that sorted.
Source:Vanguard
