In Siberia, a firm finds gas flares can be good business

Burning off associated gas is a big problem for Russia. Sibur is building a business model around solving it

Less than five years ago, travellers flying into Surgut could be forgiven for thinking they were entering Dante’s Inferno. Planes often began their descent towards the West Siberian city through clouds backlit by an eerie red and orange glow which stretched towards the horizon. On clear evenings, tongues of flame – flares burning off associated petroleum gas (APG) from the region’s vast oilfields – lay scattered across the earth below, licking at the night sky. Today, the view from the window seat is slightly less apocalyptic, but APG flaring continues, and for Russia, especially, it is a continuing problem. West Siberia is the workhor