Nigeria’s gas output climbs to 7.59Bscf/d as flaring drops to three-year low

Mkpoikana Udoma

Port Harcourt — Nigeria’s gas sector has recorded a major breakthrough as daily production rose to 7.59 billion standard cubic feet in July 2025, while gas flaring fell to its lowest level in three years at 7.16 percent, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.

The July 2025 figures reflect an 8.58 percent year-on-year increase compared to the 6.99 Bscf recorded in 2024, and a 9.84 percent rise from the 6.91 Bscf achieved in 2023.

“This milestone underscores our sustained regulatory drive to ramp up gas production while progressively reducing flaring in line with Nigeria’s 2030 zero-flare commitment,” NUPRC stated in its latest report.

Despite the increase in production, the Commission confirmed that flaring declined from 7.55 percent in 2024 and 7.38 percent in July 2023 to 7.16 percent in July 2025.

“We are proving that production growth and flare reduction can move hand-in-hand,” the regulator added.

To achieve these results, NUPRC highlighted programmes such as the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme, NGFCP, a Decarbonisation and Sustainability Blueprint, Carbon Capture and Storage CCS initiatives, and the Upstream Petroleum Decarbonisation Template, UPDT, which integrates sustainability into project planning.

The report also showed progress in meeting the Domestic Gas Delivery Obligation.

In July, delivery performance reached 72.5 percent, up from 71.8 percent in June. Earlier in the year, DGDO compliance was 72.2 percent in January, 73.5 percent in February, 70.8 percent in March, 73.7 percent in April, and 73.0 percent in May.

On contract performance, Marginal Sole Risk operators contributed 63 percent of July’s output, Production Sharing Contracts, PSCs, accounted for 24 percent, Joint Ventures delivered 10 percent, while Sole Risk operators added 3 percent.

In terms of utilisation, NUPRC disclosed that year-to-date, 35.88 percent of production went to export sales, 27.82 percent was supplied to the domestic market, and 29.13 percent was used for field and plant operations, including fuel, gas lifting, and reinjection for pressure maintenance.

A highlight of the July data was the Gas-to-Power supply, which hit its strongest level in three months.

Daily deliveries rose 3.48 percent from 833.86 million standard cubic feet per day, MMSCF/D, in June to 862.86 MMSCF/D in July 2025.

“The power sector remains a critical anchor for domestic gas utilisation, and the July rebound demonstrates improved supply resilience,” NUPRC said.

Year-to-date figures show fluctuations in Gas-to-Power supply: 780.23 MMSCF/D in January, 849.37 MMSCF/D in February, 886.83 MMSCF/D in March, 886.7 MMSCF/D in April, 837.64 MMSCF/D in May, before the June dip and July rebound.

The Commission emphasised that the July performance reflects its regulatory vision of positioning gas as the “transition fuel” to support Nigeria’s economic growth and energy security.