Precious Anga
Lagos — The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has renewed its methane emissions reduction partnership with TotalEnergies for another 24 months, reinforcing efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions across its upstream operations and advance Nigeria’s decarbonisation commitments.
Under the renewed agreement, both companies will continue deploying the Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications (AUSEA), a drone-based emissions monitoring technology designed to detect, measure, and support the reduction of methane and carbon emissions across oil and gas facilities.
The agreement, signed on Wednesday, was executed by NNPC Ltd’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mr. Udy Ntia, and TotalEnergies Country Chair and Managing Director, Mr. Matthieu Bouyer, according to a statement by NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr. Andy Odeh.
The extension builds on a partnership first launched in 2023 and aligns with NNPC Ltd’s commitments under the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC), the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0), and its long-term target of achieving near-zero methane emissions by 2030.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ntia said the decision to extend the collaboration was informed by the success recorded during the initial phase of implementation, which demonstrated measurable improvements in emissions detection and reporting.
He described the renewed agreement as a “practical step” in strengthening NNPC Ltd’s decarbonisation framework, adding that it will enhance the company’s ability to detect, quantify, and prioritise methane abatement across its asset portfolio.
According to him, the company will also institutionalise emissions reporting in line with regulatory standards while exploring opportunities for technology transfer and capacity building within its operations.
The AUSEA system is designed to improve emissions intelligence by identifying previously unaccounted sources, improving reporting accuracy, supporting corrective interventions, and assessing flare efficiency across production sites.
TotalEnergies Senior Vice President for Africa, Mike Sangster, said the partnership reflects the company’s continued commitment to reducing emissions across its global operations.
He noted that TotalEnergies was the first oil producer in Nigeria to eliminate routine gas flaring across all operated assets, attributing part of that achievement to the deployment of advanced monitoring technologies such as AUSEA.
Sangster reaffirmed the company’s ambition to reach near-zero methane emissions by 2030, while deepening collaboration with NNPC Ltd on environmental sustainability initiatives.
Developed in partnership with France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Reims, the AUSEA technology uses drone-mounted sensors to deliver high-precision methane measurements and detect leaks across oil and gas infrastructure.
Methane reduction has become a central pillar of global energy transition strategies due to its high heat-trapping potential, estimated to be more than 80 times stronger than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.
For Nigeria, the renewed partnership is expected to improve emissions accountability, strengthen environmental compliance, and support broader efforts to align the oil and gas sector with global climate commitments.
