Report: 50% of Shell’s gas flaring occurred in Nigeria

Shell Plc has stated that around 50 per cent of total routine and non-routine flaring in its integrated gas and upstream facilities in 2023 happened in assets operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Commission and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company.

This was made known in a Shell Energy Transition Strategy 2024 report.

According to Shell, it has plans to sell the gas flaring Nigerian assets to a consortium of indigenous energy firms.

The report said: “Around 50 per cent of total routine and non-routine flaring in our Integrated Gas and Upstream facilities in 2023 occurred in assets operated by the SPDC and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company.

"On January 16, 2024, Shell reached an agreement to sell SPDC to a consortium of five companies, subject to approvals by the Federal Government of Nigeria and other conditions."

The energy firm added that it was working to significantly reduce flaring, which is also negatively impacts the climate.

Other parts of the report read: “In 2021, we brought forward our target to eliminate routine flaring from our upstream operations to 2025 from 2030. This accelerates our commitment in 2015 to end routine flaring as a signatory to the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring by 2030 initiative.

“Total routine flaring Our upstream oil and gas assets remained relatively stable in 2023 compared with 2022 at 0.1 million metric tons, having reduced from 1.1 million metric tons in 2016.

“We are spending $10-15bn on low-carbon solutions between 2023 and 2025, making us a significant investor in the energy transition.

“With our focused approach, we believe our investments will have an important impact, allowing us to develop low-carbon solutions at increasingly affordable prices for our customers.

“We will invest in producing LNG with lower carbon intensity, in reducing emissions from oil and gas production, and in providing cleaner energy solutions. As we transform Shell into a net-zero emissions energy business, we believe we are the investment case and the partner of choice through the energy transition.”

BEB