Why Do Oil Companies Burn Natural Gas Instead of Selling It?

Why would an oil company burn something it could theoretically sell? Those giant flames above oil fields are one of the most recognizable sights in the energy industry — and also one of the strangest. From the outside, it looks like an enormous waste of valuable fuel. But the reason they keep burning reveals a much bigger conflict between engineering, infrastructure, safety, and economics. This is why natural gas can still end up in a flare, even when it has real value. Chapters: 00:00 Why Oil Fields Burn Natural Gas 01:06 Where the Gas Comes From 02:31 Why Natural Gas Is Difficult to Sell 04:44 Why the Gas Cannot Simply Be Stored 06:04 Why the Gas Is Burned Instead of Released 08:10 The Economic Decision Behind Flaring 09:37 Alternatives to Routine Flaring #NaturalGas #GasFlaring #OilAndGas #Energy #HowItRuns