Guidelines for Management of Fugitive Methane and Greenhouse Gases Emissions in the Upstream Oil and Gas Operations in Nigeria

Nigeria committed to reducing the emission of Short-Lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) emanating from activities and processes within its border, which has informed the preparation of National SLCP Actions Plan (NAP), purposely set for the mitigation of short-lived climate pollutants in the country. The process included the identification of the different sources of SLCPs emissions, their analysis, identification, and prioritization of measures targeted at reducing emissions from major SLCPs such as Black Carbon (BC), Methane (CH4), as well as long-lived greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2).

The purpose of these guidelines is to establish the actions and mechanisms that operators shall adopt for the prevention and control of GHG/methane emissions from the Upstream Oil and Gas Operations. The provisions of these Guidelines shall be applicable to new and existing facilities within the upstream Nigerian Oil and Gas industry. The objectives include:

Reduction of the environmental and social impact caused by the emissions of components of natural gas including methane and other compounds.

i. Prevention of waste of natural resources.

ii. Protection of the environment.

iii. To achieve Nigeria's emission mitigation and reduction targets of the NDCs in the Oil and Gas, the key abatement measures and their targets are; elimination of routine gas flaring (100% of gas flaring eliminated by 2030) and fugitive emissions/leakages control (60% Methane Reduction by 2030). This notwithstanding, the exemption provisions of the sections 104 and 107 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 shall apply.