Bloomberg reported that the Permian Basin produced so much natural gas at the end of last year that producers were flaring more than enough of the fuel to satisfy residential demand across the state. Flaring, a common practice by drillers, burns gas that can’t be easily or efficiently captured, stored or transported to market. Bloomberg said, “Oil wells there produce gas as a byproduct, and because pipeline infrastructure hasn’t kept pace with the expansion, energy companies must sometimes choose between flaring and slowing production.”
Scott Sheffield, CEO of Pioneer Natural Resources, said last month at a conference in New York City, “It’s a black eye for the Permian Basin. The state, the pipeline companies and the producers – we all need to come together to figure out a way to stop the flaring.” Oslo-based consultant Rystad Energy said the amount of gas flared in the Permian Basin last year rose about 85 percent to reach 553 million cubic feet per day in 2018Q4. Bloomberg said data from World Bank for 2017 show that U.S. ranks fourth behind Russia, Iran and Iraq in flaring.