The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has deployed a digital platform designed to improve the monitoring and reporting of emissions across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The platform, known as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Emission Tracker (NOGIET), is expected to strengthen the country’s ability to monitor methane emissions and support efforts to achieve a 60 per cent reduction in methane emissions by 2035.
The tracker was formally handed over to the Commission Chief Executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja. Captain John Tonlagha, who represented the chief executive, received the platform on her behalf.
The deployment is part of the commission’s wider efforts to improve environmental monitoring and strengthen regulatory oversight in the upstream petroleum sector.
Methane is one of the greenhouse gases associated with oil and gas operations. Its release into the atmosphere can contribute to climate change, making the monitoring and control of methane emissions an important part of efforts to reduce the environmental impact of petroleum production.
For Nigeria, improving the measurement and reporting of emissions is also important as the country works towards its stated climate and energy-sector targets.
According to the information released about the tracker, NOGIET is intended to support the implementation of the commission’s 2022 Guidelines for the Management of Fugitive Methane and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector.
The guidelines require operators to move away from relying mainly on estimation-based emissions reporting and adopt measurement-based reporting by the first quarter of 2027.
This transition is significant because measurement-based reporting is intended to provide more direct information about emissions from oil and gas operations. More reliable information can help regulators assess industry performance, identify areas requiring attention and monitor whether operators are meeting their environmental responsibilities.
Under an estimation-based approach, emissions figures may be calculated using standard factors or assumptions. Measurement-based reporting, by contrast, places greater emphasis on obtaining actual measurements of emissions from relevant operations.
The shift is expected to improve the quality of information available to regulators and industry stakeholders. It can also support better decisions on how to reduce emissions and strengthen environmental management.
NOGIET is therefore being introduced as a digital tool to support the collection, monitoring and reporting of emissions information in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
The commission’s move also aligns with Nigeria’s wider efforts to reduce methane emissions and address gas flaring. Routine gas flaring has remained an important environmental issue for oil-producing communities and the petroleum industry because it involves the burning of natural gas during oil production.
Reducing routine gas flaring requires effective regulation, investment in gas utilisation infrastructure and improved monitoring of industry activities. A reliable emissions tracking system can provide regulators with information needed to assess progress and identify areas where operators may need to improve.
The tracker is also expected to contribute to Nigeria’s longer-term ambition of reaching net-zero emissions by 2060. Achieving that objective will require sustained action across different sectors of the economy, including energy, transportation, industry and power generation.
For the upstream petroleum industry, the immediate challenge will be ensuring that operators comply with the reporting requirements and provide accurate information within the timelines set by the regulator.
The first-quarter 2027 transition deadline means that companies operating in the sector will need to prepare their systems and processes for measurement-based reporting. This may involve reviewing existing monitoring procedures, improving data collection and ensuring that emissions information can be reported in the required format.
The effectiveness of NOGIET will depend not only on the availability of the digital platform but also on the quality of information supplied by operators, the commission’s capacity to assess that information and the enforcement of applicable environmental requirements.
The deployment represents a step towards more structured emissions monitoring in Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector. However, the actual impact will be measured by the platform’s use, the accuracy of reported data and the progress made in reducing methane emissions.
As Nigeria continues to balance petroleum production with environmental responsibilities, the NUPRC’s digital tracker is expected to play a role in improving transparency and strengthening oversight of emissions across the industry.
