By Seun Ibiyemi
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has intensified efforts to achieve Nigeria’s target of reducing methane emissions by 60 per cent by 2035 with the introduction of a digital platform to strengthen monitoring, reporting and regulatory enforcement in the oil and gas industry.
The platform, known as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Emission Tracker (NOGIET), was formally handed over to the Commission Chief Executive, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, at the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja.
The Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community (HSEC), Captain John Tonlagha, who represented the Chief Executive, said the initiative formed part of the Commission’s efforts to strengthen implementation of its 2022 Guidelines for the Management of Fugitive Methane and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Upstream Oil and Gas Sector.
The guidelines require oil and gas operators to move from estimation-based to measurement-based emissions reporting by the first quarter of 2027.
READ ALSO:Pensioners demand inclusion in FG’s N70,000 monthly transport allowance
Eyesan said NOGIET aligned with the Commission’s digital transformation agenda and Nigeria’s broader commitment to reducing methane emissions, ending routine gas flaring and achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.
According to her, the technology-driven platform integrates satellite-based methane plume detection, regulatory mapping of oil blocks and pipelines, and facility-level emissions measurements.
She said the system would enable regulators to identify emission hotspots, detect discrepancies in reported data, prioritise inspections and strengthen compliance monitoring.
The NUPRC chief executive stressed that integrating the platform into the Commission’s regulatory monitoring and data management systems would improve the credibility, consistency and reliability of emissions data.
NOGIET was developed through a partnership involving the Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), with financial and technical support from the Global Methane Hub (GMH).
The platform is designed for use by both the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), providing a coordinated approach to methane emissions management across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
