Country
Assessment
No evidence regarding sector-wide targets and limits could be found in the sources consulted. However, Indonesia does set operational limits on flaring (see section 10 of this case study). Its NDC and the Indonesia Climate Change Sectoral Roadmap set targets to reduce economywide GHG emissions.
Article 14 of the CNH Technical Provisions for the Use of Associated Natural Gas in the Exploration and Production of Hydrocarbons, DOF: 07/01/2016 specifies the methodologies and criteria for operators to structure their associated gas utilization programs and targets. For exploration, the operator indicates the volumes of associated gas that can be utilized given existing technologies, infrastructure, and knowledge of the fields to be explored. The CNH then reviews the associated gas utilization program to establish the targets to be applied throughout the exploration stage. For production, the operator needs to achieve and maintain an annual utilization rate for associated gas of 98 percent. The target must be reached within three years of the start of operations. The operator should detail the actions and investments needed to achieve and maintain the target annually. The CNH reviews the proposed targets and utilization program, and where appropriate, modifies and establishes the final targets to be implemented throughout the production stage. Article 15 permits operators to propose an adjusted gas utilization program to the CNH if field conditions make it uneconomic to reach the authorized targets after the initial three-year period. The CNH will evaluate the application but the original utilization goal cannot be affected.
The Associated Gas Re-injection (Continued Flaring of Gas) Regulations, 1984, set criteria for when flaring is allowed. No evidence of enforcement is available in the sources consulted. The National Effluent Limitation Regulation, 1991, issued by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, placed limits on the concentrations of hydrocarbons in atmospheric emissions. According to Section 12.3 of the Emissions Regulations , the regulator will establish biannually the gas flaring threshold for licensees, lessees, and facilities.
Federal Decree No. 1148, 2012, limits flaring or venting to 5 percent of the total volume of associated gas produced. This target was first mentioned in the Energy Strategy for Russia for the Period up to 2030 (approved by Federal Decree No. 1715-r, 2009).
There are no targets set for emissions reduction in laws or regulations. Saudi Aramco has a zero routine flaring program and aims for near zero methane emissions by 2030. Every Saudi Aramco facility must have a flare minimization plan and targets.
The OGA Flaring and Venting Guidance, 2021, requires that flaring and venting be reduced to the lowest possible level under the circumstances, mirroring the previous criteria of a technically and economically justified minimum for safe and efficient commissioning and operations. The new guidance also requires that existing facilities engage in zero routine flaring and venting by 2030 and that all new developments be based on zero routine flaring and venting. Earlier guidance stated that the OGA would not examine in detail applications for consents with flare levels less than 40 tonnes (1.6 million cubic feet [mmcf]) a day or vent levels less than 4 tonnes a day from a single facility during production. According to the new guidance, the OGA will consider in detail all consent requests regardless of quantity. In response to assisting the government with its net-zero emissions target, including zero routine flaring by or before 2030, the primary industry association, Offshore Energies UK (name was changed from Oil & Gas UK in February 2022), released decarbonization targets, which the OGA incorporated in its tracking of flaring and venting. The current industry methane intensity commitment is 0.25 percent by 2025, with an ambition to reduce it to 0.20 percent (North Sea Transition Deal 2021). The Net Zero Stewardship Expectation 11 states that “zero routine flaring and venting and the use of the lowest-GHG-emission fuels should be the base case for power generation and GHG emissions targets.”
Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap contains near-term and long-term targets, including for the oil and gas sector. Implementation of new rules to eliminate routine flaring and venting is mentioned as a near-term goal.
Title 30 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 250.1160(a) defines limits within which gas can be flared or vented. For example, the amount is limited to what is necessary for its intended purpose, or an average of 50 thousand cubic feet (mcf) a day in any calendar month. The EPA’s proposed NSPS rule requires 95 to 100 percent reductions in methane and VOC emissions from various equipment such as pneumatic devices and storage vessels.
The updated waste prevention rule proposed in November 2022 sets new limits . The proposed rule allows only 48 hours of royalty-free flaring under emergency situations, which are defined more narrowly than before; and limits royalty-free flaring due to pipeline constraints, processing failures, or similar events to 1,050 cubic feet (mcf) per month, per lease, unit, or communitized area (see section 9 of this case study). The BLM can mandate operators to curtail or shut in production if reported flaring exceeds 4,000 mcf per month for three consecutive months and the BLM confirms that flaring is ongoing (Section 3179.8). The EPA’s proposed NSPS rule requires 95 to 100 percent reductions in methane and VOC emissions from various equipment such as pneumatic devices and storage vessels.
In the early 2010s, the North Dakota Petroleum Council’s Flaring Task Force targeted capturing 74 percent of associated gas in 2014, gradually increasing to 90 percent by late 2020; it proposed 95 percent as a potential target beyond 2020. The North Dakota Industrial Commission (NDIC) Order 24665, 2014, operationalized these targets, raising the 2020 target to 91 percent in 2018.