ANGOLA VOWS TO END GAS FLARING BY 2010

The Angolan government has worked out a strategy to totally eliminate gas flaring in 2010 through popularizing the use for industrial and domestic purposes, officials said on Monday.

Angolan Oil Minister Desiderio Costa was quoted as saying that the government has placed step-by-step reduction of gas flaring resulting from oil exploration as one of top priorities on the work agenda.

At the closing session of the Second Deepwater Offshore West Africa Exploration and Production Conference, the minister said to achieve this goal it is essential for African oil producers to capitalize the experiences acquired by national firms, turning them into autonomous operators, leading contractors and those participating in the whole oil business chain.

According to the minister, the Angola LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) Limited has carried out a LNG project to produce five million tons of gas annually as from 2012, thus enabling the country to profit from environmental protection and use of the fluid for commercial and industrial goals.