NNPC renews Methane reduction deal with TotalEnergies for 2 more years

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has renewed its partnership with TotalEnergies for another 24 months to continue deploying advanced methane detection technology across its upstream operations, in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support its decarbonisation targets.

The agreement extends the use of the Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications (AUSEA), a drone-based system designed to detect, measure and help reduce methane and carbon emissions from oil and gas facilities.

In a statement, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh, said the renewal agreement was signed on Wednesday by the company’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mr. Udy Ntia, and TotalEnergies Country Chair and Managing Director, Mr. Matthieu Bouyer.

The extension follows an initial agreement signed in 2023 and is aimed at supporting NNPC Ltd.’s commitments under the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC), the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0, and its target of achieving near-zero methane emissions by 2030.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ntia said the successful implementation of the first phase informed the decision to extend and scale up the initiative across additional assets.

“Today’s signing represents a practical step in NNPC Limited’s journey to build a credible, transparent and action-oriented decarbonisation programme,” he said.

He added that the initiative strengthens the company’s ability to detect, quantify and prioritise methane abatement using advanced measurement technology.

According to him, NNPC will also work towards institutionalising progress reporting in line with regulatory requirements while exploring opportunities for technology transfer.

The AUSEA technology is designed to identify previously unaccounted emission sources, improve reporting accuracy, support corrective action, and assess flare combustion efficiency.

Also speaking, TotalEnergies Senior Vice President for Africa, Mike Sangster, said the partnership reflects the company’s commitment to reducing emissions across its operations.

He noted that TotalEnergies was the first oil-producing company in Nigeria to eliminate routine gas flaring across all its assets, crediting the AUSEA technology for supporting that achievement.

Sangster added that the company remains committed to achieving near-zero methane emissions by 2030 and strengthening collaboration with NNPC on environmental sustainability.

The AUSEA system, developed by TotalEnergies in partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Reims, uses drone-mounted sensors to provide precise methane measurements and detect leaks across oil and gas installations.

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