NUPRC Warns Flare Gas Site Awardees Against Inaction, Threatens Permit Revocation
By Sunday Etuka
Operators awarded gas flare sites under Nigeria’s flare commercialization programme risk losing their permits if they fail to show meaningful progress, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has warned.
The Commission Chief Executive, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, gave this warning while briefing the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, during a working visit in Abuja.
Presenting an update on the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialization Programme (NGFCP), Eyesan explained that the Commission carries out a one-year review of every award to assess whether awardees have made adequate headway.
“One year after an award has been granted, the Commission conducts an evaluation to determine whether there has been considerable progress,” she said. “Where there is insufficient progress, the Commission will take appropriate regulatory action, including revocation of the award where necessary.”
Eyesan, in a statement on Wednesday by the NUPRC’s Head of Corporate Communications and Media, Eniola Akinkuotu,
noted that despite early pushback from some operators, the NGFCP has continued to make steady gains. Of the 43 flare gas sites originally earmarked for award, 27 have now been successfully allocated, with implementation efforts ongoing.
She added that Nigeria holds over 215 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of proven gas reserves, with a total estimated reserve base of about 600 TCF — resources she described as a solid platform for power generation, industrialisation, exports and wider economic growth.
On host community development, Eyesan said the Petroleum Industry Act established the Host Community Development Trust framework to tackle long-running grievances in host communities and ensure petroleum resources translate into sustainable development.
She said available data shows the trusts have helped cut oil theft and spillage while improving relations between operators and communities.
She disclosed that 173 Host Community Development Trusts have been incorporated so far, 147 of which have been funded. Over 1,001 projects are currently ongoing, while more than 200 have been completed and commissioned across host communities.
In his remarks, Ekpo called for a deliberate, aggressive push to implement the gas commercialization programme so Nigeria can meet its 2030 target of ending routine gas flaring.
“The core objective is to add value to our gas resources by converting them into critical products and services. We must move away from environmental pollution and toward productive resource utilization,” the minister said.
