Big project: state oil and gas firm Sonangol has 20 percent of Block 14

Green light for plans to reduce burn-off and recycle gas
Government calls for oil companies to join forces in distributing this natural fuel

atural gas is seen as today’s fossil fuel of choice because of its reduced impact on the environment compared with either oil or coal.
Angola has been steadily burning off 85 percent of the gas produced from its oil wells, but the government is now taking steps to ensure that the country’s natural wealth is put to good use.
The Kuito project (see main story) is designed to use the gas produced with oil instead of burning it off. The gas can either be liquefied and exported or re-injected into oil wells – a technique used across the world to boost production rates and conserve resources at the same time.

The government has called for a national plan to gather and distribute natural gas from the oil fields. In order to make this happen, however, the authorities will need help from the oil industry. Getting a project off the ground could take two or three years.