To combat methane emissions and ensure that Nigeria eliminate gas flaring by 2030, stakeholders in the country have called for a robust framework to address technical and regulatory gaps across the oil and gas value chain.
This was the submission at the multi-stakeholder dialogue organised by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) in collaboration with the Natural Resource Governance Institute(NRGI) in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, Senior Officer Nigeria Program, Natural Resource Governance Institute, Tengi George-Ikoli said, immediate action is needed to prevent increasing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
She noted that Nigeria with the world’s ninth-largest gas reserves, is a major methane emitter, accounting for 16 percent of sub-Saharan African methane emissions from 2010 to 2020.
“Nigeria needs a robust methane emissions framework to address technical and regulatory gaps across the oil and gas value chain.
“Frameworks should deliver tailored monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) systems that combine satellite and leak detection and repair (LDAR)technologies, create synergy among stakeholders, and incentivize methane emissions reduction.
“Oil and gas companies must prioritize investments in methane emissions reduction technologies, reflect global environmental commitments in local operations, and participate in independent data disclosure initiatives, such as the new Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) requirements for greenhouse gas emissions and the Nigeria EITI (NEITI) audit process,” Tengi said.
Also speaking, Executive Secretary Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Orji Ogbonnaya Orji, said effective mitigation measures are not only environmentally responsible but also economically beneficial for all stakeholders.
He said the reduction of emissions enables oil and gas companies to improve operational efficiency, minimize revenue losses from gas flaring, and enhance their competitiveness in the global market; which results in increased government revenue and a more attractive investment climate for Nigeria, contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and international climate commitments.
Also, the Director of Programs, CJID, Akintunde Babatunde said, the dialogue is a testament to the collaborative spirit required to address challenges of methane emissions.
He noted that methane emissions are 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a twenty-year period, and must be rigorously managed through regulatory reforms and energy-efficient technologies.