By Olumide Johnson
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has unveiled a multi-track strategy to expand gas production, deepen domestic utilisation and strengthen Nigeria’s position as a major global LNG supplier, placing gas at the centre of the country’s industrialisation and energy-security strategy.
DEVELOPMENT:
Speaking at the 2026 Gas Technology & Exhibition Conference (GASTECH) in Bangkok, NNPC Executive Vice President, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, said that Nigeria is leveraging its substantial gas reserves while pursuing both domestic and export markets.
“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 said that the strategy is anchored on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Decade of Gas Framework and the Gas Master Plan.
DATA:
NNPC is targeting national gas production of 10 Bcf/d by 2027 and 12 Bcf/d by 2030. The Gas Master Plan 2026, unveiled in January by NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, is expected to catalyse more than $60 billion in oil and gas value-chain investment by 2030.
Ojulari said that Nigeria has about 210 Tcf of proven gas reserves, with potential to reach 600 Tcf. The Nigeria LNG project’s Trains 1-6 have combined capacity of 22 MTPA and have exported more than 6,000 LNG cargoes since 1999. Train 7 is scheduled for completion in 2027.
SIGNIFICANCE:
The strategy attempts to solve two problems simultaneously: generate foreign exchange through LNG exports while using domestic gas to support power generation, CNG, LPG, Mini-LNG and industrial production.
Ogunleye argued that Nigeria’s location provides access to both Atlantic Basin and Asian markets, strengthening its competitiveness as a global supplier.
He also said the country has de-risked new LNG projects through its legal, regulatory and fiscal framework.
“With continued efforts towards stable security, competitive gas pricing and assured gas supply, there is no better time for investors and financiers to participate in the development of Nigeria’s LNG projects confidently.”
NEXT MOVE:
The critical markers will be whether production actually reaches 10 Bcf/d by 2027 and 12 Bcf/d by 2030, whether Train 7 meets its schedule, and whether the promised $60 billion investment pipeline materialises.
Security, gas pricing, infrastructure and conversion of resources into bankable reserves will remain decisive.
OUR LENS:
Nigeria is attempting to move from being a country with abundant gas resources to one that monetises gas at industrial scale. Ogunleye’s proposed shift from 215 Tcf to above 600 Tcf, alongside Ojulari’s investment target, represents a deliberately ambitious supply-and-investment proposition.
But the deeper test is execution. GASTECH’s gathering of about 50,000 participants from more than 150 countries gives Nigeria a global investor audience. The opportunity is clear; the credibility of the strategy will ultimately depend on whether projects, infrastructure, security and reliable gas supply follow the rhetoric.
Olumide Johnson is a journalist, reporting on energy, business, markets, policy and developments shaping Nigeria’s economy.
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