By Vera Osokpo
Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has called on gas producers to treat methane reduction as a commercial priority, arguing that preventing leaks can increase revenue, recover lost gas and improve the efficiency of production facilities.
The company said methane released into the atmosphere represented gas that could otherwise be captured, sold and converted into additional income. It added that investments in leak detection, gas recovery and monitoring could generate financial returns while reducing emissions.
NLNG Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Adeleye Falade made the call at the Gastech 2026 Exhibition and Conference in Bangkok.
He spoke during a panel session titled “Capturing the Lost Opportunity: Driving Global Alignment on Methane Abatement Across Natural Gas Supply Chains.”
Falade explained that NLNG’s methane-management strategy begins with measuring losses across its operations. The data is then used to identify problem areas, guide investments in leak prevention and gas recovery, and evaluate the results through independent verification.
He urged the industry to move away from viewing methane reduction solely as an environmental expense and instead recognise its commercial value.
“Every tonne emitted is lost product, lost revenue and lost energy; gas we could have sold. Every molecule of methane avoided is both an emissions reduction and a recovered energy resource,” he said.
Falade cited NLNG’s boil-off gas compressor and start-up gas recovery projects as examples of initiatives that combine environmental benefits with commercial returns.
Each project is expected to reduce methane emissions by between 10 and 15 per cent. He said both projects had positive projected net present values, meaning the anticipated financial benefits would exceed their costs over their operating lifetimes.
“The most compelling business case is the simplest one: the projects that cut our methane also pay for themselves,” Falade said.
He added that the same measures that reduce methane losses also improve equipment reliability and plant efficiency, generating benefits beyond emissions reporting.
According to Falade, accurate measurement was essential for making sound investment decisions. It enables companies to locate methane losses, direct resources to the most effective interventions and verify whether the measures are delivering results.
He said NLNG’s experience showed that gas producers in developing countries could establish emissions-reporting systems that meet international standards by investing in monitoring technology, strengthening reporting capacity and subjecting their data to independent review.
Falade highlighted NLNG’s Gold Standard recognition under the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0. He said the company was the first in Africa to achieve Level 5 methane-emissions reporting.
He added that NLNG’s measurement, reporting and verification system was independently assured by DNV in line with ISO 14064 standards.
NLNG’s methane-management programme includes site-wide optical gas imaging, a structured Leak Detection and Repair programme and the phased introduction of continuous monitoring systems and real-time dashboards across its facilities and vessels.
Falade said credible measurement depended on commitment rather than geography, noting that NLNG had demonstrated that high-quality emissions monitoring could be implemented in Africa.
He explained that the company had not waited for perfect infrastructure before taking action. Instead, it prioritised reliable measurement, invested in appropriate technology and strengthened its reporting systems through independent verification.
He urged the industry to apply the same standards globally rather than lower expectations for producers in emerging economies.
Methane reduction is also being incorporated into NLNG’s Train 7 project, which is expected to increase the company’s LNG production capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum.
At the national level, Falade said NLNG’s long-term efforts to commercialise gas that might otherwise have been flared had contributed to a reduction in Nigeria’s gas-flaring rate from above 65 per cent to below 20 per cent.
He described the conversion of wasted gas into a marketable product as the original commercial argument for emissions reduction.
Falade said reliable emissions data was becoming increasingly important beyond plant operations, as methane intensity now influences procurement decisions, financing arrangements and buyer confidence.
To extend its efforts across the value chain, NLNG operates a formal Scope 3 Advocacy Plan through which it engages feed-gas suppliers and contractors on measuring, reporting and reducing emissions.
The company also obtains verified upstream emissions data from feed-gas producers and considers environmental, social and governance factors, alongside emissions performance, when selecting and evaluating suppliers.
Falade called for greater consistency in methane regulation across countries, warning that differences in measurement techniques and reporting requirements made enforcement uneven and complicated meaningful comparisons.
“The industry does not need weaker standards; it needs stronger, shared ones backed by real measurement,” he said.
Addressing the relationship between climate action, energy access and affordability, Falade said NLNG’s operations supported Nigeria’s targets of achieving net-zero emissions by 2060 and ending routine gas flaring by 2030.
He stressed, however, that emissions reduction must advance alongside efforts to meet the energy needs of households and businesses.
“Developing economies cannot be asked to choose between economic development and emissions reduction. Both must progress together,” he said.
Falade was joined on the panel by Zubin Bamji of the World Bank, Niels Dijksman of Brunei LNG and Hiroyuki Mori of JOGMEC. The session was moderated by energy economist Dr. Carole Nakhle of Crystol Energy.