Nigeria Renews 2030 Routine Gas Flaring Elimination Target Amid Regulatory Gaps

What happened The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has reaffirmed Nigeria's target to end routine gas flaring by 2030, the News Agency of Nigeria reported. Speaking on behalf of NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan at the Emogas International Natural Gas-Based Industry Conference and Exhibition (EINGICE) 2026 in Abuja, Janice Anyanwu stated that gas flaring has declined from historic levels of around 90 percent of output to roughly seven percent. Nevertheless, approximately 500 million standard cubic feet of gas continues to be flared daily. Eyesan reported that Nigeria held 215.19 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves as of January 1, with an estimated reserve life of 85 years, and produced an average of 7.42 billion standard cubic feet per day in 2025, utilizing about 92.4 percent. Investment is being supported by Executive Order 40 of 2024, a 40-block licensing round, and upstream developments including Ubeta, HI, and Ima, which have a combined prospective output of roughly one billion cubic feet daily. However, reporting by AllAfrica and investigations by PREMIUM TIMES detailed notable gaps in the enforcement of anti-flaring rules under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) of August 2021. While the PIA sets flaring penalties at $2 per thousand standard cubic feet alongside provisions to commercialize wasted volumes, investigations documented rising flare volumes at some sites following 2023 regulations, unpunished non-compliance, and delays. Permits under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme—which auctioned 42 flare sites—were issued to 28 companies only in December 2025, with NUPRC subsequently threatening revocations over slow progress. An April 2026 regulatory directive acknowledged technical shortcomings in measuring, reporting, and verifying methane, alongside unpublished venting data. PREMIUM TIMES also reported persistent flaring at TotalEnergies' OML 58 and OML 130 assets in Rivers State despite the operator's declaration of having ended routine flaring, with neither the company nor NUPRC responding to inquiries. Why it matters Nexus Energy analysis indicates that the persistent divergence between official policy commitments and operational realities underscores the structural difficulties facing upstream decarbonization in West Africa. While commercialization frameworks such as mini-LNG and LPG schemes offer theoretically viable routes to capture wasted volumes, execution remains vulnerable to capital constraints, infrastructure deficits, and marginal gas economics at dispersed flare sites. The lack of independent, measurement-based methane monitoring systems also introduces reputational and regulatory risks for upstream producers, especially as international buyers face tighter emissions scrutiny. As noted by Oando Energy Resources Managing Director Ainojie Irune, commercial viability and consistent physical supply remain critical to transforming nominal reserve numbers into economic value. What to watch Nexus Energy analysis suggests observing whether the NUPRC enforces permit revocations against underperforming flare commercialization awardees and mandates audited, measurement-based emissions reporting. Further attention should be directed toward infrastructure progress on prospective gas projects such as Ubeta, HI, and Ima, as well as the implementation of the proposed gas-swap framework. Sources News Agency of Nigeria, AllAfrica, EnviroNews Nigeria