The federal government has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in collaboration with the International Energy Agency (IEA) to foster partnerships in reducing methane emissions, advancing gas development, facilitating access to clean cooking, and providing technical support in Nigeria.
The MoU was announced in a statement released on Tuesday by Louis Ibah, the spokesperson for the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas).
The agreement was formalized at the headquarters of the IEA in Paris, France, on Tuesday.
During the signing ceremony, Ekperikpe Ekpo, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), stated that this MoU establishes a strategic alliance aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, strengthening governance, and aligning Nigeria’s petroleum sector with international best practices.
He added that this collaboration builds upon past interactions between the parties, notably the first Sub-Saharan Roundtable on methane emissions reduction hosted in Nigeria.
“This MoU signifies a key milestone in our joint efforts to elevate the Nigerian petroleum sector, ensuring it operates efficiently, sustainably, and in accordance with global standards,” Mr. Ekpo remarked.
He further elaborated that the framework includes methane emissions reduction, policy and analytical support, building institutional and technical capacities, data sharing, gas development, and the expansion of gas infrastructure.
Moreover, Mr. Ekpo highlighted clean cooking as a vital aspect of the agreement, revealing that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Federal Government aims to facilitate Liquefied Petroleum Gas adoption in five million households by 2030.
He expressed optimism that the partnership with the IEA would yield technical know-how and global insights necessary for enhancing project financial viability and hastening infrastructure development.
Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the IEA, who attended the signing event, praised Nigeria for its dedication to reducing methane emissions and improving access to clean cooking gas.
Methane and Climate Concerns
Methane, a colorless, odorless, and flammable gas, is the main element of natural gas. While widely utilized for heating, cooking, and electricity generation, it also acts as a potent greenhouse gas, being over 28 times more efficient at trapping heat than carbon dioxide over a century.
The IEA indicates that methane emissions within Nigeria's oil and gas sector largely arise from intentional venting, inefficient flaring, and leaks from outdated infrastructure.
In 2023, the agency reported that venting and unintentional emissions were major contributors to the heightened methane intensity observed in Nigeria’s upstream operations, which it estimated to be about double the global industry average.
As part of its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) presented to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Nigeria committed to lowering methane emissions. The country has initiated regulations across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act aimed at sector-wide reforms.
The IEA has estimated significant potential for Nigeria to mitigate methane emissions. It reported in 2023 that approximately 67 percent of the nation’s methane emissions could have been avoided without any net financial outlay through the commercialization of captured gas.
This analysis has shaped government objectives to eradicate routine gas flaring by 2030 and achieve a 60 percent reduction in fugitive methane emissions by 2031.
Recent calls by experts from civil society groups in Nigeria and across Africa have been made for the implementation of stronger legislation and enhanced enforcement to address ongoing methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, highlighting escalating health and environmental concerns in Niger Delta communities.
These experts contend that reducing methane emissions is both feasible and cost-effective, emphasizing that established technologies are already in place to significantly lessen emissions, typically at low or zero net costs when captured gas is effectively utilized.
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