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Associated gas is natural gas produced together with crude oil from the same reservoir. Once produced, associated gas can be directed to several utilisation and disposition pathways, including (i) marketed gas, (ii) on-site operations, (iii) reinjection or Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR), (iv) flaring, and (v) venting or fugitive emissions. The allocation among these pathways depends on infrastructure availability, gas utilisation economics, reservoir requirements and regulatory conditions.
Once largely treated as a by-product of oil production, with substantial volumes routinely flared or vented, associated gas is now increasingly recognised as a valuable resource for domestic energy supply and other productive uses. At the same time, growing efforts to reduce the environmental footprint of oil and gas production are strengthening incentives to capture and utilise associated gas rather than flare or release it. Effective management can therefore help maximise the economic value of these volumes while reducing associated emissions.
Read the full feature article “Associated gas as a driver of greater economic value and emissions reduction”.