NLNG has urged global gas players to treat methane reduction as a business priority, saying every tonne of methane emitted is lost product, lost revenue and lost energy.
NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Falade, made the call in Bangkok at the Gastech 2026 Exhibition and Conference during a panel on “Capturing the Lost Opportunity: Driving Global Alignment on Methane Abatement Across Natural Gas Supply Chains.”
Falade said NLNG’s strategy starts with measuring methane losses and using the data to guide investment in leak prevention and gas recovery, backed by independent verification.
“The industry needs to shift the conversation from the cost of methane reduction to the value it creates,” he said. “Every tonne emitted is lost product, lost revenue and lost energy — gas we could have sold. Every molecule of methane avoided is both an emissions reduction and a recovered energy resource.”
He cited NLNG’s new boil-off gas compressor and start-up gas recovery project as examples. Both target methane reductions of about 10 to 15 per cent and have positive net present values, meaning their financial benefits will exceed costs.
“The most compelling business case is the simplest: the projects that cut our methane also pay for themselves. The same discipline that reduces methane improves asset reliability and plant efficiency,” Falade said.
He said credible measurement underpins NLNG’s investment decisions and helps the company direct resources and track results. According to him, gas producers in developing economies can build globally trusted emissions-reporting systems by investing in monitoring, building capacity and submitting data to independent scrutiny.
READ MORE: NLNG, NCDMB Break Ground on Significant HCD Institutional Strengthening Project
Falade said NLNG earned Gold Standard recognition under the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 and became the first company in Africa to achieve Level 5 methane reporting. Its Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system is independently assured by DNV in line with ISO 14064.
He said the company uses site-wide optical gas imaging, a structured Leak Detection and Repair programme, and continuous monitoring with real-time dashboards across its plant and vessels.
“Credible measurement is a function of commitment, not geography, and NLNG has proved it can be done in Africa,” he said.
He said methane reduction is built into the design of NLNG’s Train 7 project, which will raise LNG production capacity from 22 million to 30 million tonnes per annum.
Falade said NLNG’s long-standing role in monetising gas that would otherwise be flared has helped cut Nigeria’s flaring rate from over 65 per cent to under 20 per cent, describing it as the original commercial case for emissions abatement.
He noted that credible emissions data now influences procurement, financing and buyer confidence, prompting NLNG to extend measurement and reduction efforts across its supply chain through its Scope 3 Advocacy Plan, which engages feed-gas suppliers and contractors to measure, disclose and reduce emissions. The company also factors Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into supplier selection.
On regulation, Falade called for greater consistency across jurisdictions, saying different measurement methods and reporting requirements make enforcement uneven.
“The industry does not need weaker standards; it needs stronger, shared ones backed by real measurement,” he said.
On energy transition, he said NLNG supports Nigeria’s goals of net-zero by 2060 and zero routine flaring by 2030, stressing that emissions reduction must go hand-in-hand with energy access and affordability.
“Developing economies cannot be asked to choose between economic development and emissions reduction. Both must progress together,” he said.
Falade spoke alongside Zubin Bamji of the World Bank, Niels Dijksman of Brunei LNG and Hiroyuki Mori of JOGMEC. The session was moderated by Dr. Carole Nakhle of Crystol Energy.
