NNPC Reports 96 Percent Reduction in Routine Flaring at Anyala, Madu Fields

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NNPC Reports 96 Percent Reduction in Routine Flaring at Anyala, Madu Fields

Nigerian National Petroleum Co. Ltd. (NNPC) and co-venturer First Exploration & Petroleum Development Co. Ltd. (First E&P) have achieved a 96 percent reduction in the routine flaring of associated gas from the Anyala and Madu fields in the Niger Delta, NNPC said. The flared gas is reinjected into a reservoir at the Madu field. The partners […]

The flared gas is reinjected into a reservoir at the Madu field. The partners plan to commercialize the stored gas, NNPC said in an online statement.

“This achievement underscores our commitment to leveraging resources responsibly and optimizing production to meet energy needs and sustainability goals”, NNPC chief executive Mele Kyari said.

The company said the reduction is “a significant stride towards supporting Nigeria’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent unconditionally and 47 percent conditionally, as stipulated in the Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement”.

Anyala, part of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 83, and Madu, part of OML 85, are in the shallow waters of the Niger Delta with depths of 10 to 60 meters (32.81 to 196.85 feet), according to 40 percent owner and operator First E&P.

The two fields have a combined production of 57,000 barrels a day, according to First E&P, a Nigerian player.

Gas flaring in Nigeria emitted 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide last year, while 30,100 gigawatt hours of potential power generation were wasted, according to data from the Nigerian Gas Flare Tracker online portal. Meanwhile useful natural gas burned by the oil and gas industry in the West African country in 2024 amounted to $1.05 billion, according to the tracker, a project of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

Relevant violations in 2024 accrued $602 million in fines, much of which remains uncollected, according to the tracker.

Nigeria’s Environment Ministry said last year it would “no longer tolerate” international oil and gas companies that do not practice transparency and accountability for their flare emissions.

“As of today, Nigeria remains one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of gas flaring volumes”, Minister of State for the Environment Iziaq Kunle Salako told the National Extractives Dialogue at the time.

“Historically, gas flaring has been a common practice in the Nigerian oil and gas industry due to the absence of infrastructure to capture and utilize the associated gas”, Salako said.

“Despite regulatory efforts, enforcing regulations has been challenging, and many operators still flare gas due to insufficient penalties and the high costs of gas capture and utilization technologies”, Salako added.

“Nigeria’s policies on gas flaring has however evolved significantly over the years”, the minister said. “Initially, the focus was on production maximization, with little regard for the environmental impact of gas flaring. However, recognizing the severe implications of this practice, the Nigerian government has implemented several policies aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating gas flaring.

“Key among these is the Gas Re-injection Act of 1979, which mandated oil companies to submit gas utilization plans, and more recently, the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Program, launched in 2016, which aims to attract investments in flare gas capture projects”.

Additionally the Environment Ministry created NOSDRA, Salako said.

“I must however express my deep concern that while a few international oil companies and other operators are heeding the call of government for gas flare transparency and accountability most international oil companies are not responding at the scale we expected to the call by NOSDRA which reflects a disregard for Nigeria’s environmental sustainability agenda”, Salako warned.

“Let me therefore use this platform to issue a strong warning that the federal ministry of environment acting on its mandate to secure a quality environment conducive for good health and well-being of fauna and flora will no longer tolerate such disregard to legitimate call of NOSDRA”.

According to Salako, NOSDRA has developed a mechanism for “fact-checking” flare volumes and quantifying carbon dioxide emissions.

To contact the author, email [email protected]

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