Libya cuts gas flaring by 100mn cubic feet per day through five major projects

Libya’s state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) said it has succeeded in reducing natural gas flaring by more than 100mn cubic feet per day (2.8mn cubic metres per day), following the implementation of a package of strategic projects aimed at capturing and utilising associated gas instead of burning it, Libya Herald reported on January 6.

NOC said the recovered gas will supply power plants and petrochemical facilities, improving efficiency and reducing emissions. The corporation aims to cut flaring by 120mn cubic feet per day (3.4mn cubic metres per day) by 2026 and achieve a 60% reduction by 2030, in line with Libya’s commitments after joining the Paris Agreement in 2021.

The achievement was delivered in cooperation with NOC subsidiaries and specialised technical committees, and included five key projects across several operating companies. Three of the most significant projects were implemented at Sirte Oil Company.

The first project involved rerouting condensate from the Hatiba field into a 16-inch condensate pipeline, replacing a low-pressure line that had caused large volumes of gas to be flared.

The second project enabled the diversion of around 60mn cubic feet per day of gas (1.7mn cubic metres per day) from the Lahib and Raqouba fields into the main pipeline supplying the coastal gas network.

The third focused on rehabilitating a long-idle gas separation system at Lahib, allowing about 12mn cubic feet per day (0.34mn cubic metres per day) of gas to be reused for gas-lift operations.

Additional reductions came from Al-Sarir Oil Operations Company, which processed 25mn cubic feet per day of gas (0.71mn cubic metres) after upgrading its gas processing plant, and from Al-Waha Oil Company, which cut flaring by 20mn cubic feet per day (0.57mn cubic metres) at the North Al-Dafah field.