Wärtsilä's technology will likely contribute to increasing the utilisation of associated gas for power generation.
In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase access to electricity, the World Bank-led Global Gas Flaring Reduction partnership (GGFR) welcomed Wärtsilä as the first associated partner to join the global effort to reduce the flaring or burning of natural gas associated to oil production.
When drilling for crude oil, gas usually comes to the surface as well and is often vented or flared instead of used for private or commercial consumption due to various barriers such as lack of adequate infrastructure, markets or regulations. The World Bank-led partnership between governments and companies tries to overcome these challenges by working to reduce the environmentally harmful waste of gas. The GGFR partnership estimates that globally some 150 bn cubic meters (bcm) of gas are flared or wasted every year, adding about 400 mn tons of greenhouse gases.
Vesa Riihimäki, Group Vice President, Wärtsilä Power Plants said "We are proud to become an associated partner of the GGFR. If associated gas can be used in power generation instead of being flared into the atmosphere, an oil-field's emissions can be significantly reduced. At the same time, there are obvious economical benefits to be gained. As an associated partner of the GGFR, we will be able to contribute to reducing flaring through our know-how in power generation."
Through Wärtsilä's dual-fuel technology, associated gas can be converted to electricity and used for driving a compressor or a pump, instead of being continuously flared into the atmosphere. Wärtsilä's gas-diesel technology offers fuel flexibility, enabling the engines to run on any combination of liquid fuel and associated gas.
