The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, on Thursday, said it was working in collaboration with the United States Department of States and international management consultancy firm, Deloitte, to meet its net-zero carbon goals.
This, it said, was by embarking on a project aimed at reducing the emission of methane and other greenhouse gases from its upstream operations.
“The project which is at its conceptual stage was the focus of a three-day technical assistance on oil and gas sector global methane abatement and decarbonisation workshop which kicked off at the PTDF Tower in Abuja on Monday,” NNPCL said in a statement issued on Monday night.
It said the workshop, which was a follow-up on an earlier one held in July 2023, was, among other things, aimed at defining the critical success elements of the project.
“Some of the critical elements of the project tabled at the workshop include determining the scope of the project, establishing a baseline for methane and carbon emissions from the selected operation sites, collecting relevant data on the selected sites and helping the Deloitte consultants to understand the operations and expectations of NNPC Ltd.
“Participants at the workshop unanimously selected OML 34 located onshore in Western Niger Delta which has the Utorogu and Ughelli Fields as the operation site for the pilot stage of the project.
“Participants were drawn from relevant NNPC Ltd.’s subsidiaries and departments such as exploration & production; new energy; gas infrastructure; health, safety, and environment, as well as Federal Government agencies like the National Council on Climate Change,” the company stated.
It said the project was sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Energy Resources, Energy and Mineral Governance Programme.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation and a significant emitter of greenhouse gases. Recognising the urgency of climate action, the country has taken several steps to tackle the issue.
In policy and legislation, Nigeria developed the Climate Change Act 2021, which sets a framework for achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 and establishes a carbon budgeting system.
It also developed the Nationally Determined Contributions and pledged a 20 per cent unconditional reduction in emissions by 2030 and a further 47 per cent with international support.
For the Oil and Gas Methane Regulations 2023, Nigeria aims to eliminate gas flaring by 2030 and reduce fugitive emissions by 95 per cent by 2050.
The is also the Short-Lived Climate Pollutant National Action Plan that outlines strategies to reduce emissions from sectors like waste, agriculture, and transportation.
In the country’s Energy Transition Plan 2022, Nigeria has a roadmap for achieving net-zero emissions, focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency and diversification of the economy.
The Renewable Energy Master Plan aims to increase the share of renewable energy in the national grid to 30 per cent by 2030, while the Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme is auctioning licenses to utilise flared gas, potentially reducing emissions and generating revenue.
The National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy promotes sustainable development and climate-resilient practices in Nigeria.
