TEHRAN - The Head of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said that the country’s oil fields will stop wasting flare gas, which is burned during drilling production processes, within two years, Shana reported.

According to Mohsen Khojasteh Mehr, the NIOC has allocated $5.0 billion to projects for stopping the controversial practice of burning off gases through stacks at oil fields, and these projects have reached 70 percent physical progress.

Last week, the Iranian Oil Ministry announced that a major plan for recovering flare gases in East Karun oil fields, which is being implemented in the form of 25 projects in four provinces, has reached 60 percent progress.

This plan, which is being implemented with an investment of $1.1 billion by Bidboland Gas Refining Company, will play a key role in preserving the environment of the region and protecting national wealth.

Earlier that week, Oil Minister Javad Oji said the recovery of flare gases in the South Pars gas field is going to be increased to 17 million cubic meters (mcm) per day by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 19).

Putting the current recovery level of flare gas in the mentioned field at 11 mcm per day, Oji said the figure is going to increase to 40 mcm per day by the end of the current government administration (August 2025).

Gas flaring is the process of burning the gas released through certain industrial processes, including oil extraction. In the past, when the demand for natural gas was low and, consequently, producers had little incentive to gather and sell it, it was generally – and more reasonably – dissipated through flaring.

Now, however, natural gas is known to be a valuable means of generating electricity and an important raw ingredient for the petrochemical industry. On the other hand, when released into the air, unrefined gas pollutes the atmosphere by releasing greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, causing extensive environmental damage.

The implementation of gas flare recovery projects in Iran comes as the country faces an unprecedented wave of sanctions on its oil and gas industry, limiting its ability to engage with foreign companies who have experience in the field.

EF/MA