The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has renewed Nigeria’s dedication to ending routine gas flaring by 2030, a goal underneath scrutiny given persistent flaring at oil services and gaps in regulatory enforcement and emissions monitoring, as documented by PREMIUM TIMES.
The fee’s Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, mentioned the nation was pursuing stricter penalties and the commercialisation of gas presently being burned at oil manufacturing websites.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, Ms Eyesan, represented by Janice Anyanwu, the fee’s deputy director of gas utilisation, spoke on Wednesday on the Emogas International Natural Gas-Based Industry Conference and Exhibition (EINGICE) 2026 in Abuja.
She mentioned gas flaring, which beforehand accounted for about 90 per cent of manufacturing, had declined to roughly seven per cent, with about 500 million customary cubic toes of gas nonetheless flared day by day.
However, the pledge comes amid questions on whether or not Nigeria’s regulatory framework is being enforced successfully and whether or not accessible information can independently show the dimensions of progress towards ending routine flaring.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation discovered main gaps in implementing the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the laws governing gas flaring, venting and methane emissions.
The investigation discovered that regulatory delays, weak enforcement and deficiencies in methane measurement had undermined efforts to curb emissions, practically 5 years after the PIA was enacted in August 2021.
It additionally found that the fee had not revealed some info required underneath its personal laws, together with complete information on gas venting, which releases methane instantly into the environment somewhat than burning it.
In an April 2026 directive reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES, the fee acknowledged technical capability limitations and gaps in measuring, reporting, and verifying methane emissions.
The regulator later directed oil and gas operators to enhance emissions reporting, together with a shift to extra correct, measurement-based monitoring programs.
TotalEnergies flaring declare underneath investigation
PREMIUM TIMES just lately investigated TotalEnergies’ declaration that it had ended routine gas flaring in Nigeria
In our report, we documented persistent flare exercise across the firm’s OML 58 and OML 130 belongings.
During visits to host communities, together with Obite and Obagi in Rivers State, our reporter noticed gas burning day and night time at services operated by TotalEnergies despite its public declaration.
Satellite information reviewed by this newspaper additionally indicated that flare exercise at OML 58 and OML 130 had neither disappeared nor lowered considerably after the announcement.
The investigation sought explanations from TotalEnergies and the NUPRC, together with whether or not the regulator had independently assessed the corporate’s declare and the way the noticed flaring had been categorised. Neither organisation responded to the enquiries on the time of publication.
The findings raised questions on how routine flaring is classed, what proof helps firms’ declarations that they’ve eradicated it, and whether or not regulators can independently confirm these claims since ending routine flaring doesn’t essentially imply that every one flaring has stopped. Operators should flare gas for emergencies, security causes or different non-routine functions, topic to relevant laws.
However, figuring out whether or not such exercise is justified requires clear operational information, dependable emissions measurements and efficient regulatory oversight.
Penalties, commercialisation
At Wednesday’s convention, Ms Eyesan attributed the discount in gas flaring to stricter penalties and efforts to develop industrial makes use of for gas that might in any other case be wasted.
She mentioned the NUPRC launched the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme in 2021 and auctioned 42 flare websites to third-party buyers.
The tasks embody mini-liquefied pure gas (LNG) crops and services for producing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Under the PIA, the fee’s chief government mentioned the gas-flaring penalty was standardised at $2 per thousand customary cubic toes, with further penalties for operators exceeding accredited thresholds.
The regulation additionally offers a framework for capturing and commercialising flare gas somewhat than permitting it to be wasted.
However, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a number of operators continued flaring gas despite authorized obligations to scale back emissions.
Our investigation discovered that flare volumes elevated at some oil belongings after the introduction of the 2023 gas-flaring and methane laws. The investigation additionally documented compliance considerations and cases through which operators mentioned that they had not confronted sanctions for failing to satisfy reporting or different regulatory obligations.
In October, PREMIUM TIMES additional reported that the fee issued permits for flare-gas commercialisation to twenty-eight firms in December 2025, greater than 4 years after the PIA grew to become regulation.
The fee’s subsequent risk to revoke permits from buyers that failed to indicate main progress in utilising flare gas highlights the problem of translating the programme into measurable reductions.
The newest pledge raises questions on how shortly the remaining flare websites shall be introduced underneath efficient commercialisation preparations and the way the regulator will exhibit that the ensuing tasks are decreasing emissions.
Gas reserves, funding
Ms Eyesan mentioned Nigeria had confirmed gas reserves of 215.19 trillion cubic toes as of 1 January, giving the nation an estimated reserve lifetime of 85 years.
She mentioned Nigeria produced a median of seven.42 billion customary cubic toes of gas day by day in 2025, with about 92.4 per cent utilised.
READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom oil communities demand action on gas flaring, host community rights
She attributed investor curiosity to reforms, together with Executive Order 40 of 2024, and cited the Ubeta, HI and Ima gas tasks, which have a mixed potential manufacturing capability of about one billion cubic toes day by day.
The fee can also be advancing a gas-swap framework and has launched a licensing spherical providing 40 blocks to draw additional funding, she mentioned.
Despite the nation’s substantial reserves, insufficient infrastructure, excessive funding prices and inadequate gas volumes at some flare websites stay obstacles to eliminating routine flaring.
Ainojie Irune, managing director of Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Ltd., mentioned Africa wanted to focus much less on celebrating its gas reserves and extra on delivering dependable provides and changing sources into financial worth.
Speaking on driving gas industrialisation by means of progressive upstream funding selections, Mr Irune mentioned Africa’s gas trade would require about $1 trillion in funding by 2050.
He mentioned Nigeria’s gas growth remained constrained by insufficient infrastructure, unsure fee preparations and delays in industrial selections, including that greater than 55 trillion cubic toes of found Nigerian gas remained undeveloped or awaited commercialisation.
Mr Irune referred to as for built-in gas-to-market programs, bankable provide contracts, dependable infrastructure and secure regulatory insurance policies.
He mentioned progress needs to be measured by the amount of gas delivered and investments executed somewhat than reserves found or tasks introduced.
The convention, EINGICE 2026, introduced collectively vitality trade leaders, policymakers, buyers, regulators and expertise innovators to debate increasing Africa’s LNG commerce and accelerating gas-based industrialisation.
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