Ogunleye: NNPC Deploying Multiple Strategies To Position Nigeria As Global Gas Hub
By Sunday Etuka
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has restated its resolve to pursue several strategies aimed at establishing Nigeria as a global gas hub, according to the company’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye.
Ogunleye made the disclosure on Monday while speaking at the 2026 Gas Technology & Exhibition Conference (GASTECH), holding in Bangkok, Thailand.
Speaking on a panel themed “The New LNG Order: Leadership Strategies for Energy Security and Growth,” he said that as geopolitics, conflict and other factors continue to shape global energy supply and demand, Nigeria is drawing on its more than 215 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of proven reserves to drive domestic industrialisation while widening its export reach.
“Gas development and monetisation from Nigeria’s standpoint is a purely commercial play. NNPC Ltd. is implementing a Gas Master Plan (GMP) engineered as a gap to potential tool to move Nigeria from a 215tcf reserves position to above 600tcf,” Ogunleye stated.
He explained that the company’s strategy centres on strengthening coordination anchored on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Decade of Gas Framework and the GMP, with a near term target of raising national gas production to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by 2027 and 12 Bcf/d by 2030.
According to him, Nigeria is already a dependable global gas supplier undergoing major expansion, pointing to key LNG projects such as Trains 1 to 6, which produce 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and have exported over 6,000 LNG cargoes since 1999, as well as Train 7, which is billed for completion in 2027.
He noted that Nigeria’s geographical position, well placed for both the Atlantic Basin and Asian markets, gives it a strategic edge as a global supplier, an advantage reinforced by the country’s large gas resource base and its national focus on gas development.
Ogunleye, in a statement on Monday by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPC Limited, Andy Odeh,
said domestic gas utilisation and gas exports are not mutually exclusive for Nigeria, noting that the country has embraced a dual pathway that uses exports to earn foreign exchange while advancing domestic gas use to create jobs, strengthen energy security and boost economic wellbeing.
He added that Nigeria has de-risked new LNG projects through a solid legal and regulatory framework backed by attractive fiscal incentives.
“With continued efforts towards stable security, competitive gas pricing and assured gas supply, there is no better time for investors and financiers to confidently participate in the development of Nigeria’s LNG projects,” Ogunleye said.
GASTECH is the world’s largest exhibition and conference focused on natural gas, LNG, hydrogen and low carbon solutions.
Now in its 54th edition, the conference brings together about 50,000 participants from over 150 countries, including energy experts, CEOs, policymakers, investors and technology leaders, to discuss the future of energy security, LNG supply, infrastructure investment and decarbonisation.
