By Sopuruchukwu Nnaji
Nigeria’s gas flaring rate has dropped from over 65 per cent to under 20 per cent, largely due to the conversion of otherwise flared gas into liquefied natural gas for export.
This was part of the commercial case for emissions abatement presented by Nigeria LNG Limited at the Gastech 2026 Exhibition and Conference in Bangkok.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Falade, in a statement obtained by The West Afrikan Post on Wednesday, said developing economies should not have to choose between growth and climate action.
“Developing economies cannot be asked to choose between economic development and emissions reduction. Both must progress together,” he said.
Falade spoke during a panel moderated by Dr. Carole Nakhle of Crystol Energy, alongside Zubin Bamji of the World Bank, Niels Dijksman of Brunei LNG and Hiroyuki Mori of JOGMEC.
Central to his argument is profitability. He disclosed that NLNG’s two latest abatement investments a boil off gas compressor and a start up gas recovery project will each deliver 10 to 15 per cent methane reduction while posting positive net present values.
“The most compelling business case is the simplest one: the projects that cut our methane also pay for themselves,” Falade said.
He said the same discipline also improves asset reliability and plant efficiency.
For future growth, Falade said the principle is being embedded from design stage in Train 7, which will increase NLNG’s capacity from 22 million to 30 million tonnes per annum.
On regulation, he faulted uneven rules across jurisdictions and called for unified measurement standards.
“The industry does not need weaker standards; it needs stronger, shared ones backed by real measurement,” he said.
He said the NLNG’s credibility is built on verification, adding that Its measurement, reporting and verification system is independently assured by DNV under ISO 14064.
The West Afrikan Post reports that the company is the first in Africa to attain Level 5 reporting and Gold Standard recognition under OGMP 2.0.
The system, he explained, combines site wide optical gas imaging, Leak Detection and Repair, continuous monitoring and real-time dashboards across plant and vessels.
According to him, the NLNG did not wait for perfect infrastructure, but invested in monitoring and reporting capability to build a globally trusted system.
Beyond its plant, Falade said methane intensity now shapes financing and buyer decisions. NLNG, through its Scope 3 Advocacy Plan, sources verified upstream data from feed-gas producers and applies ESG and emissions criteria in supplier selection.
“Every tonne emitted is lost product, lost revenue and lost energy; gas we could have sold. Every molecule of methane avoided is both an emissions reduction and a recovered energy resource,” he said.
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