The Kuwait Oil Company is evaluating bids, which have been submitted to replace the flares at three oil and gas gathering centers saying the project includes the replacement of the flare stacks on GC-15, GC-23 and GC-25.
According to the documents published by the Kuwait Oil Company, the current burner stacks will be replaced with units with a lower impact on the environment, after the project was launched for the first time in July 2021, and witnessed long delays before submitting bids, noting that 11 contractors submitted bids for the project, according to MEED, reports Al-Qabas daily.
In the Middle East and North Africa region, many oilfields and downstream facilities routinely burn associated natural gas, rather than collecting and processing it for use as fuel or feedstock for petrochemical facilities.
This practice, called burning, causes environmental damage and has negative health effects on neighboring communities. If the gas is released without combustion, it could cause further environmental damage.
In January, the Kuwait Oil Company said its monitoring systems had failed to register a three-week gas leak observed by satellite last year, exacerbating concerns of under-reporting of greenhouse gas emissions around the world.
When methane is emitted directly into the air, it has more than 80 times the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide during its first 20 years. The leak, which was identified by satellite, was from facilities associated with the Burgan oil field.
KPC was included among the 30 fossil fuel companies responsible for more than 40% of the methane gas released by the global energy sector, according to a report published by Global Energy Monitor last November.