Nigeria pushes hard for zero gas flaring by 2030

Goli Innocent

Lagos — Nigeria has renewed its push to end gas flaring completely by 2030, with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) insisting that stronger enforcement, investment in gas infrastructure, and tighter regulation will finally break decades of waste in the oil sector.

At the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) 2026, the Commission Chief Executive of NUPRC, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, told global energy stakeholders that Nigeria is no longer treating gas flaring as a background issue but as a national economic and environmental emergency that must end within the decade.

Gas flaring has remained one of Nigeria’s biggest energy contradictions. Despite holding Africa’s largest gas reserves estimated at over 200 trillion cubic feet, largely concentrated in the Niger Delta region billions of cubic feet are still burnt off daily during crude oil production, releasing carbon emissions and wasting valuable energy that could power industries and homes.

Eyesan said the Federal Government is now tightening its “zero tolerance” approach through fiscal penalties, metering systems, and gas utilisation projects aimed at capturing what was previously wasted. She explained that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and ongoing regulatory reforms have given the commission stronger enforcement powers to sanction operators who fail to comply.

She also stressed that the Decade of Gas initiative, introduced by the Federal Government, is central to achieving the 2030 target. The programme is designed to shift Nigeria from crude oil dependence to gas-led industrialisation, using natural gas for power generation, fertiliser production, and export revenue.

Industry data consistently shows Nigeria still ranks among the top gas-flaring countries globally, with millions of tonnes of CO₂ emitted annually. But Eyesan argued that recent investments in gas processing plants, pipeline expansion, and domestic utilisation projects are already beginning to reduce routine flaring in key fields.

She did not hide the challenges. According to her, vandalism of gas infrastructure, funding gaps, and slow project execution have slowed progress. However, he maintained that collaboration between regulators, international oil companies, and indigenous producers is improving compliance levels across the upstream sector.

Energy analysts at the conference noted that Nigeria’s push is now more commercially driven than environmental rhetoric alone. Capturing flared gas, they said, could unlock additional electricity supply, reduce import dependence on liquefied petroleum gas, and improve government revenue at a time of fiscal pressure.

Eyesan reaffirmed that the target is clear and non-negotiable: ending routine gas flaring by 2030, with measurable yearly reductions and stricter monitoring across all production sites.

For Nigeria, the message at OTC 2026 was blunt gas is no longer waste to be burnt off in the fields, but a currency for power, jobs, and industrial growth.