Texas is flaring a record amount of natural gas, according to a new report.
The volume of natural gas being flared has grown sharply in the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, according to a 17-page report by Austin, Texas-based drillinginfo, an industry research firm, Kallanish Energy reports.
It estimated the volume of natural gas being flared in the Permian has grown from 0.31 Bcf in January 2011, to 7.74 Bcf in 2018, an increase of 2,284%, the company said.
The volume of natural gas being flared is volumetrically small, but it could signal a potential problem, the firm said. The volume of methane being flared in the Permian has grown sharply, drillinginfo said. The level in the first quarter of 2018 was four times higher than levels seen before 2010, it said.
The report is focused on “associated gas,” natural gas produced while drilling for crude oil. The Permian Basin is lacking pipelines to transport such natural gas to markets.
Natural gas flaring is also significant in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, where an estimated 20 Bcf are typically flared.
