Nigeria to end gas flaring by 2030 – NUPRC

Preparations are in place by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission to terminate gas flaring by 2030.

The Punch stated that this was revealed during a lecture given by NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, Gbenga Komolafe, during the 8th Sub-Saharan Africa International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, which took place in Lagos.

Komolafe claimed that the NUPRC “is effectively spearheading the national drive to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2060 and the zero-flare target by 2030.”

He stated that various efforts, such as the Nigeria Gas-Flare Commercialization Program would be used to accomplish this.

With its strategic geopolitical importance, large market size of over 200 million people, teeming youth population, abundant natural and energy resources in the right mix, and plethora of investment opportunities, Komolafe noted that Nigeria holds promise for Africa and has the potential to emerge as a superpower.

He however maintained that “How effectively we address our challenges and leverage our strengths in the coming year will determine whether or not this promise is realized.”

In order to fully realize the conference’s potential, he asked attendees to “view it as a call to action for “enhanced collaboration and regional integration.”

Furthermore, he clarified that Nigeria is on course to fulfil its environmental stewardship responsibilities.

He stated that Nigeria “occupys a distant 165th position in the global ranking of top emitters, with a greenhouse gas emissions per capita at 1.88 tonnes Carbon dioxide equivalent per capita per year, representing just 0.13 per cent of the global total,” according to an analysis of the European Union’s Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research database.

According to the Nigerian Gas Flare Tracker, gas worth $1.9 billion was flared in Nigeria between 2020 and 2024, 595.1 million standard cubic feet of gas were flared in the states of Rivers, Delta, Imo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Anambra, Abia, and Lagos during the time under review.

Gas flaring, according to the World Bank, is the process of burning natural gas while extracting oil.

Despite protests from industries that produce energy about gas scarcity, gas flaring is nevertheless common in Nigeria.