- Ghana is moving to eliminate routine gas flaring in its oil fields by 2026 as part of a broader strategy to cut methane emissions from the petroleum sector.
- The CEO of the Petroleum Commission stressed that methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, has become central to global climate action.
Ghana is moving to eliminate routine gas flaring in its oil fields by 2026 as part of a broader strategy to cut methane emissions from the petroleum sector and meet international climate and market requirements.
The plan includes the construction of a second gas processing plant to convert excess gas into usable energy.
All new oil fields will be required to adopt systems that prevent flaring, in line with existing regulations. Ghana is also partnering with industry stakeholders to deploy advanced technologies for methane measurement and reporting.
Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Petroleum Commission, Victoria Emeafa Hardcastle, outlined the measures at a roundtable in Accra under the theme “Changing Export Market Expectations Regarding Methane.”
The event formed part of the ongoing Africa Oil Week, which brings together energy leaders to explore investment and policy solutions across the continent.
Ms Hardcastle stressed that methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, has become central to global climate action.
She cited the European Union’s new Methane Regulation (EU 2024/1787) as a major shift reshaping petroleum exports.
“With the EU consuming over 500 million tonnes of oil equivalent annually, most of it imported, exporters must now comply with stringent methane emission measurement, reporting and verification standards.
“This development has added new requirements to crude oil exports, changing long-established expectations. For petroleum-producing developing countries, especially in Africa, these obligations come on top of funding constraints and the high cost of technology,” Ms Hardcastle said.
Meanwhile, Maria Olczak, a Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, pointed out that between 2025 and 2030, EU rules will require exporters to prove methane management.
“Compliance will be essential for African producers who want to keep or grow their market share in Europe,” she said.