Natural Gas Flaring
Oil producers flared 148 billion cubic metres of natural gas in 2023 — enough to supply Mexico's entire annual gas consumption. Flaring wastes resources, releases CO₂ and (when incomplete) methane, and accounts for ~1% of global energy-related emissions. The World Bank's Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative has slowed but not reversed the trend.
Key insights
Flaring is a deliberate operational choice
When oil is produced, associated natural gas comes up the well. Capturing it requires gas-processing infrastructure (gathering pipelines, compressors, processing plants). When that infrastructure doesn't exist — at remote wells, in regions without gas markets — operators burn the gas at the wellhead. Burning ('flaring') is preferable to venting (which releases pure methane) but still wastes the energy content.
Flaring is geographically concentrated
Just four countries — Russia, Iraq, Iran, and the US — account for roughly half of global flaring. The US Permian Basin became a major flaring source after 2018 as oil production outpaced gas-takeaway capacity. Iraq flares because of decades of underinvestment in gas-processing infrastructure. Russia and Iran flare in remote producing regions. Most other major oil producers have largely eliminated routine flaring.
Progress has been slow and partial
The World Bank's Global Gas Flaring Reduction Partnership launched in 2002. Many oil majors and producing countries committed to Zero Routine Flaring by 2030. Total flaring fell ~6% from 2014 to 2023 — modest progress when oil production grew 8% over the same period. The bigger wins are from individual operations (Saudi Aramco, Sonangol, several US operators); aggregate progress requires the laggards to act.
Top gas-flaring countries (2023)
Billion cubic metres flared per year
Key Finding: Russia, Iraq, Iran and the US together flare ~75 BCM/year — half the global total.
Global gas flaring 2010–2023
Billion cubic metres
Key Finding: Roughly flat for a decade despite the World Bank initiative. The 2022–23 reduction reflects partial sanctions impact on Russian flaring.
Methodology & caveats
Measurement by satellite
Flaring is measured globally using NOAA's VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) satellite, which detects the heat signature of flares from space. Calibration ties radiance to gas-volume estimates. Methodology is consistent over time but absolute volumes carry ±15% uncertainty. National operator reports often disagree with satellite figures.
Why not just capture the gas?
Capture requires gas-gathering infrastructure (pipelines, processing) that costs $200–500 million for a typical producing region. When the gas value is below capture cost, flaring is economic. Long-term: stranded gas can be reinjected (used for enhanced oil recovery, or stored underground), liquefied (Russia's Yamal LNG), processed for power (gas-to-wire), or converted to ammonia/methanol. Each requires capital.
Emissions accounting
Flared gas releases CO₂ (combustion product) plus methane (incomplete combustion, ~2% slippage). Together this is ~400 Mt CO₂eq per year using 100-year GWP. Venting gas (unburned methane release, which still occurs at older or malfunctioning operations) is much worse climate-wise. Flaring is therefore the second-worst outcome among capture, flare, vent — and the most common in practice.