Gas flaring hit a record low in the U.S. last fall—a trend that Artem Abramov, head of shale research for Rystad Energy, expects will continue.
“Based on what we hear from some E&P companies when we talk to them, I have a high degree of confidence that gas flaring will continue to decline in the next two to three years,” Abramov told Hart Energy in an exclusive interview.
Abramov recently authored a report for Rystad Energy on the decline in onshore gas flaring in the U.S., which plummeted in the third quarter to its lowest level since at least 2012. The nosedive was led by improved flaring practices in the Permian Basin and Bakken through a combination of improved takeaway capacities, investor expectations and COVID-related impacts, according to the Rystad report.

“All large independent producers, they now have quite tangible targets,” Abramov added. “They plan to eliminate routine flaring completely, at latest by 2025 and in exceptional cases by 2030. Right now, many of them are not there yet so there is still some room for improvement.”
Jump to Topic:
- 0:32 - Overview of report’s findings
- 2:40 - What has led to decreases in flaring
- 5:41 - Expected trends in flaring
- 7:13 - Challenges to continued flaring decreases
- 9:36 - Small operator best practices
- 12:18 - Bakken flaring challenges
- 15:36 - Flaring trends over the next year
Recommended Reading
Hibernia IV Joins Dawson Dean Wildcatting Alongside EOG, SM, Birch
2025-01-30 - Hibernia IV is among a handful of wildcatters—including EOG Resources, SM Energy and Birch Resources—exploring the Dean sandstone near the Dawson-Martin county line, state records show.
Wildcatting is Back: The New Lower 48 Oil Plays
2024-12-15 - Operators wanting to grow oil inventory organically are finding promising potential as modern drilling and completion costs have dropped while adding inventory via M&A is increasingly costly.
Formentera Joins EOG in Wildcatting South Texas’ Oily Pearsall Pay
2025-01-22 - Known in the past as a “heartbreak shale,” Formentera Partners is counting on bigger completions and longer laterals to crack the Pearsall code, Managing Partner Bryan Sheffield said. EOG Resources is also exploring the shale.
Shale Outlook: E&Ps Making More U-Turn Laterals, Problem-Free
2025-01-09 - Of the more than 70 horseshoe wells drilled to date, half came in the first nine months of 2024 as operators found 2-mile, single-section laterals more economic than a pair of 1-mile straight holes.
Classic Rock, New Wells: Permian Conventional Zones Gain Momentum
2024-12-02 - Spurned or simply ignored by the big publics, the Permian Basin’s conventional zones—the Central Basin Platform, Northwest Shelf and Eastern Shelf—remain playgrounds for independent producers.
Comments
Add new comment
This conversation is moderated according to Hart Energy community rules. Please read the rules before joining the discussion. If you’re experiencing any technical problems, please contact our customer care team.