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ExxonMobil flared almost half a million cubic feet of gas in August
Kaieteur News- The oil and gas operations in Guyana have been attracting environmental concerns, especially as temperatures continue to rise, creating suspicions that two may be linked.
While there are no reports that demonstrate a link between the two, some stakeholders believe that petroleum production in the Stabroek Block is driving up temperatures.
From the dumping of produced water to flaring o
ExxonMobil flaring at the Liza Destiny
f natural gas, concerns about the company’s operations have been widespread. Flaring is the burning of gas that is produced during the extraction of oil operations. During this process, harmful emissions are released into the environment, including methane which is 28 times as damaging as carbon dioxide (according to the US EPA)- another contributor to climate change.
The Ministry of Natural Resources on its Data Management website indicated that a total of 493,039 kscf (thousand standard cubic feet) of gas in August. Data for September has not yet been published on the site. Kaieteur News understands that the gas flared relates to all three of the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels operating in the Stabroek Block.
ExxonMobil is required to seek authorization from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prior to any flaring activity that is not related to commissioning, start-up or special circumstances such as emergencies and maintenance.
The Permits make it clear that routine flaring and venting is strictly prohibited. Exxon will be required to pay US$50 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) emitted as a result of flaring in excess of the periods approved for flaring.
Guyanese scholar, Dr. Ulric Trotz however cautioned that fining the company for flaring will not compensate for damage to the environment.
He argued, “This whole question basically of flaring, the idea of putting a monetary penalty on flaring doesn’t compensate for the damage that it does to the environment.”
It was revealed that for 2022, ExxonMobil paid US$9 million to the EPA to flare excess gas at its offshore operations. Several requests were made for the figure paid over to the regulator for 2023 but this has not been shared with the public.
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