We don’t want flaring - Jagdeo

We don’t want flaring – Jagdeo

Aug 16, 2020 News

What flaring looks like on a FPSO

Even though it has conducted discussions with ExxonMobil about moving along the gas-to-power project as well as other oil development plans, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic government has also made it clear that there needs to be sufficient provisions for the protection of the environment.
Disclosing this position of the government recently was Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.
The official said: “…We have to ensure that we have a commitment from ExxonMobil that as we sit down to discuss (all of these matters), that there is a commitment that there will be adequate provisions for any environmental disaster; that there will be adequate provisions in the contract and by Exxon for environmental disasters.”
The Vice President reiterated that the government has to be completely satisfied on this front while noting that another burning issue for the PPP/C is that of flaring.
“We’ve already signaled that we don’t want flaring…”
The Vice President’s comments come on the heels of reports by Kaieteur News that the oil giant has already flared from last year Christmas to now, over 10 billion cubic feet of gas per day due to mechanical issues being experienced aboard the Liza Destiny.
This news agency would have also reported on the toxic chemicals that are released from flaring.
According to a special study conducted by the World Bank, flaring releases gases that are not only harmful to one’s health but also disastrous to the climate.
The report notes that flaring releases more than 250 toxins including cancer-causing agents such as benzopyrene, benzene, carbon disulphide (CS2), carbonyl sulphide (COS), and toluene. It also releases metals such as mercury, arsenic, and chromium and nitrogen oxides.
Another study that was conducted by the Suez University in Egypt agrees with the findings of the World Bank Group while adding that flaring is a significant contributor of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.
When released into the atmosphere, these gases trap heat to a significant degree. The University’s Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering was keen to note that flaring is also considered to be extremely harmful to the environment since it releases methane which has about 25 times greater global warming potential than carbon dioxide.
Other pollutants such as sulfur oxides and volatile organic components (VOC) are also released from flaring. These are considered major causes of acid rain and fog, which harm the natural environment and human life.
Taking these and other harmful environmental effects into consideration, nations such as Guyana are urged to limit and/or prohibit flaring.

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