NUPRC deploys satellite tracker to cut methane emissions by 60%

By Abubakar Yunusa

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has deployed a satellite-based emissions monitoring platform to strengthen Nigeria’s efforts to reduce methane emissions by 60 per cent by 2035 and improve compliance in the oil and gas industry.

The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Emission Tracker (NOGIET) was formally handed over to the commission’s chief executive, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, at its headquarters in Abuja.

The platform is designed to detect methane emissions, identify pollution hotspots and strengthen regulatory enforcement through satellite surveillance and facility-level measurements.

Represented by the Executive Commissioner for Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Captain John Tonlagha, Eyesan said the initiative would support the implementation of the commission’s 2022 guidelines on managing fugitive methane and greenhouse gas emissions in the upstream petroleum sector.

Under the guidelines, oil and gas operators are required to move from estimation-based to measurement-based emissions reporting by the first quarter of 2027.

Eyesan said the technology aligned with the commission’s digital transformation agenda and Nigeria’s commitment to reducing methane emissions, ending routine gas flaring and achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

“NOGIET integrates satellite-based methane plume detection, regulatory mapping of oil blocks and pipelines, and facility-level emissions measurements to help regulators identify emission hotspots, detect discrepancies in reported data, prioritise inspections and strengthen compliance monitoring,” she said.

She added that integrating the platform into the commission’s regulatory monitoring and data management systems would improve the credibility, consistency and reliability of emissions data.

The platform was developed through a partnership involving the Stakeholder Democracy Network, with financial and technical support from the Global Methane Hub.

It is designed for use by both the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, providing a coordinated approach to methane management across the oil and gas industry.

Speaking at the handover, the Chairman of the SDN Board, Inemo Samiama, said the platform would enable regulators to compare satellite observations with measurements taken at oil and gas facilities.

He said the comparison would help identify discrepancies in emissions reports and support evidence-based enforcement against operators who fail to comply with regulatory requirements.

Samiama said the organisation had handed over the platform, including its front-end and back-end systems, to the commission at no cost.

“SDN hands over NOGIET in full, front end and back end, at no cost to the Commission. The platform will move from its temporary home at nogiet.ng to the Commission’s own subdomain,” he said.

He added that the platform was designed to cover the entire oil and gas industry because methane emissions were not confined to a single segment of the sector.

“Because methane does not stop at the boundary between upstream and downstream, NOGIET is designed as one platform for the whole oil and gas sector,” Samiama said.