OpeOluwani Akintayo
Lagos — Statistics from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, have shown that Nigeria grew its natural gas production to 47 billion standard cubic meters, bscm, from 2015 to 2019.
The annual statistics report for 2020 by OPEC revealed that Nigeria’s gas output that was 45 billion standard cubic meters as at 2015, rose to 47 billion last year.
The country had produced 45 billion in 2015, 42 billion in 2016, 45 billion in 2017, 44 billion in 2018, and 47 billion in 2019.
The Nigerian government had declared 2020 as a year of gas as the COVID19 pandemic ravages world economies, forcing crude oil economies such as Nigeria to search for alternative sources of income.
Structures are already being put in place as the country plans making Compressed Natural Gas, CNG; Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG; Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG; and other forms of gas more locally acceptable as fuel for automobiles, industries and for domestic use.
As at 2019, Nigeria ranked the fifth highest natural gas producer in the OPEC fold after Iran with 253 billion standard cubic meters output, Saudi Arabia with 117 billion standard cubic meters; Algeria, 89 billion; and United Arab Emirates, 55 billion standard cubic meters.
Total OPEC natural gas production for 2019 stood at 641 billion standard cubic meters while entire world production stood at 4,092 billion. North America produces the largest volume at 1,145 billion standard cubic meters; followed by Eastern Europe and Eurasia, 930 billion; Middle East, 701 billion; Asia and Pacific, 656 billion; Africa, 252 billion; Western Europe, 211 billion; and Latin America with 196 billion standard cubic meters production.
