Petroleum Engineer Cuts Gas Waste by Systematically Improving Efficiency

A petroleum engineer and co-inventor of a patented gas condensate treatment method has spent over a decade working to reduce flare volumes and energy losses at gas production facilities. Mikhail Zubkov, who serves in an operational leadership role at the receiving terminal of an international offshore gas transmission system, has developed projects that answer the question left open by the World Bank's annual Global Gas Flaring Tracker.

In 2025, the report found that producers burned off 167 billion cubic meters of natural gas, destroying some $54 billion worth of fuel. Zubkov's experience spans gas and gas-condensate facilities with a combined processing capacity exceeding 30 billion cubic meters per year, where even modest improvements in energy efficiency can produce substantial operational and economic results.

Zubkov has worked on individual equipment modifications to reduce gas sent to the flare, including removing excessive hydraulic resistance from a gas-condensate transfer system. He also co-authored a patented treatment method that modernized equipment for separating condensate from water, raising efficiency by reducing pump power demand and increasing system capacity.

The World Bank estimates that ending routine flaring worldwide would cost $70 billion to $100 billion, but Zubkov emphasizes the importance of leadership and governance in implementing changes. 'Efficiency in energy is rarely a single clever fix,' he says. 'It comes from a systematic approach that weighs energy consumption and reliability together with the environmental consequences and long-term economics of every decision.'

Zubkov's work has been recognized by the 14th All-Russian Conference of Young Scientists and Specialists, where he was named a laureate in its Energy Conservation and Ecology section for a paper on cutting the energy intensity of gas condensate pumping systems.