Oil & Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) [ONGC:IN], India’s state-controlled oil and gas producer, is seeking global technology partners to reduce gas flaring and achieve zero methane emissions by 2030, as reported by the Economic Times on January 1. ONGC Chairman, Arun Kumar Singh, stated that the company has reduced its gas flaring by almost 80% in its exploration and production operations, vowing to eliminate avoidable gas flaring by 2030. Moreover, Singh underscored the significant reduction in the firm’s methane emissions, aiming to bring it down to zero by 2030. ONGC is calling on technology innovators to discuss possible solutions to the flaring and methane emission problem with the company.

Gas flaring is the burning of natural gas produced when oil is extracted from underground, a technically necessary process to prevent this potent greenhouse gas from entering the atmosphere. Crude oil pumped out of the ground can easily be transported in trucks, whereas gas requires pipelines for long-range transportation. ONGC, responsible for 70% of India’s crude oil and 50% of natural gas production, used to flare 14 to 15 million cubic meters of natural gas per day. By using massive gas for its internal oil and gas field operations, including power generation, pumping, and compression, the company has reduced gas flaring to approximately 2% of its total natural gas output. Moreover, ORGC further plans to replace natural gas used in these operations with green power by 2028, while the gas thus freed will be sold to industries like fertilizers and power plants.

Sources:

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/ongc-seeks-partners-to-cut-gas-flaring-zero-methane-emission-by-2030/articleshow/106453997.cms

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/energy/oil-gas/ongc-seeks-partners-to-cut-gas-flaring-zero-methane-emission-by-2030/articleshow/106453997.cms

https://planet.outlookindia.com/news/ongc-to-cut-gas-flaring-use-green-power-at-oil-wells-chairman-arun-kumar-singh-news-416537

https://www.business-standard.com/india-news/cop28-to-focus-heavily-on-methane-emissions-india-likely-to-stand-ground-123112800661_1.html