The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has renewed Nigeria’s dedication to finishing habitual fuel flaring through 2030, a goal underneath scrutiny given chronic flaring at oil amenities and gaps in regulatory enforcement and emissions tracking, as documented through PREMIUM TIMES.
The fee’s Leader Govt, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, mentioned the rustic was once pursuing stricter consequences and the commercialisation of fuel these days being burned at oil manufacturing websites.
Consistent with a document through the Information Company of Nigeria, Ms Eyesan, represented through Janice Anyanwu, the fee’s deputy director of fuel utilisation, spoke on Wednesday on the Emogas Global Herbal Fuel-Based totally Business Convention and Exhibition (EINGICE) 2026 in Abuja.
She mentioned fuel flaring, which up to now accounted for roughly 90 according to cent of manufacturing, had declined to roughly seven according to cent, with about 500 million same old cubic toes of fuel nonetheless flared day by day.
Then again, the pledge comes amid questions on whether or not Nigeria’s regulatory framework is being enforced successfully and whether or not to be had knowledge can independently turn out the dimensions of development towards finishing habitual flaring.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation discovered primary gaps in enforcing the Petroleum Business Act (PIA) and the laws governing fuel flaring, venting and methane emissions.
The investigation discovered that regulatory delays, susceptible enforcement and deficiencies in methane dimension had undermined efforts to curb emissions, just about 5 years after the PIA was once enacted in August 2021.
It additionally found that the fee had no longer revealed some data required underneath its personal laws, together with complete knowledge on fuel venting, which releases methane immediately into the ambience relatively than burning it.
In an April 2026 directive reviewed through PREMIUM TIMES, the fee stated technical capability barriers and gaps in measuring, reporting, and verifying methane emissions.
The regulator later directed oil and fuel operators to give a boost to emissions reporting, together with a shift to extra correct, measurement-based tracking techniques.
TotalEnergies flaring declare underneath investigation
PREMIUM TIMES just lately investigated TotalEnergies’ declaration that it had ended habitual fuel flaring in Nigeria
In our report, we documented chronic flare task across the corporate’s OML 58 and OML 130 property.
All through visits to host communities, together with Obite and Obagi in Rivers State, our reporter noticed fuel burning day and night time at amenities operated through TotalEnergies regardless of its public declaration.
Satellite tv for pc knowledge reviewed through this newspaper additionally indicated that flare task at OML 58 and OML 130 had neither disappeared nor diminished 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 have been labeled. Neither organisation spoke back to the enquiries on the time of newsletter.
The findings raised questions on how habitual flaring is classed, what proof helps corporations’ declarations that they have got eradicated it, and whether or not regulators can independently check the ones claims since finishing habitual flaring does no longer essentially imply that every one flaring has stopped. Operators would possibly nonetheless flare fuel for emergencies, protection causes or different non-routine functions, topic to acceptable laws.
Then again, figuring out whether or not such task is justified calls for clear operational information, dependable emissions measurements and efficient regulatory oversight.
Consequences, commercialisation
At Wednesday’s convention, Ms Eyesan attributed the relief in fuel flaring to stricter consequences and efforts to broaden industrial makes use of for fuel that will another way be wasted.
She mentioned the NUPRC introduced the Nigerian Fuel Flare Commercialisation Programme in 2021 and auctioned 42 flare websites to third-party traders.
The tasks come with mini-liquefied herbal fuel (LNG) crops and amenities for generating liquefied petroleum fuel (LPG).
Underneath the PIA, the fee’s leader government mentioned the gas-flaring penalty was once standardised at $2 according to thousand same old cubic toes, with further consequences for operators exceeding authorized thresholds.
The legislation additionally supplies a framework for taking pictures and commercialising flare fuel relatively than permitting it to be wasted.
Then again, PREMIUM TIMES reported that a number of operators persevered flaring fuel regardless of prison responsibilities to scale back emissions.
Our investigation discovered that flare volumes larger at some oil property after the advent of the 2023 gas-flaring and methane laws. The investigation additionally documented compliance considerations and cases during which operators mentioned they’d no longer confronted sanctions for failing to fulfill reporting or different regulatory responsibilities.
In October, PREMIUM TIMES additional reported that the fee issued allows for flare-gas commercialisation to twenty-eight corporations in December 2025, greater than 4 years after the PIA become legislation.
The fee’s next risk to revoke allows from traders that failed to turn primary development in utilising flare fuel highlights the trouble of translating the programme into measurable discounts.
The newest pledge raises questions on how briefly the remainder flare websites can be introduced underneath efficient commercialisation preparations and the way the regulator will reveal that the ensuing tasks are lowering emissions.
Fuel reserves, funding
Ms Eyesan mentioned Nigeria had confirmed fuel reserves of 215.19 trillion cubic toes as of one January, giving the rustic an estimated reserve lifetime of 85 years.
She mentioned Nigeria produced a median of seven.42 billion same old cubic toes of fuel day by day in 2025, with about 92.4 according to cent utilised.
READ ALSO: Akwa Ibom oil communities demand action on gas flaring, host community rights
She attributed investor pastime to reforms, together with Govt Order 40 of 2024, and cited the Ubeta, HI and Ima fuel tasks, that have a blended potential manufacturing capability of about a billion cubic toes day by day.
The fee could also be advancing a gas-swap framework and has introduced a licensing spherical providing 40 blocks to draw additional funding, she mentioned.
In spite of the rustic’s considerable reserves, insufficient infrastructure, prime funding prices and inadequate fuel volumes at some flare websites stay stumbling blocks to getting rid of habitual flaring.
Ainojie Irune, managing director of Oando Power Assets Nigeria Ltd., mentioned Africa had to focal point much less on celebrating its fuel reserves and extra on handing over dependable provides and changing sources into financial price.
Talking on using fuel industrialisation via leading edge upstream funding selections, Mr Irune mentioned Africa’s fuel business will require about $1 trillion in funding through 2050.
He mentioned Nigeria’s fuel construction remained constrained through insufficient infrastructure, unsure cost preparations and delays in industrial selections, including that greater than 55 trillion cubic toes of came upon Nigerian fuel remained undeveloped or awaited commercialisation.
Mr Irune referred to as for built-in gas-to-market techniques, bankable provide contracts, dependable infrastructure and strong regulatory insurance policies.
He mentioned development must be measured through the amount of fuel delivered and investments completed relatively than reserves came upon or tasks introduced.
The convention, EINGICE 2026, introduced in combination power business leaders, policymakers, traders, regulators and era innovators to speak about increasing Africa’s LNG business and accelerating gas-based industrialisation.
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