Addressing Flaring and Venting in Nigeria's Offshore Oil and Gas Industry: Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Abstract Gas flaring and venting remain persistent challenges in global oil and gas operations, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. In Nigeria, these practices began in 1956 following the discovery of commercial oil and gas reserves in the Niger Delta region. Despite decades of production, flaring and venting continue to undermine environmental sustainability and public health, even as the sector drives economic growth. With the 2030 Zero Routine Flaring target approaching, addressing these emissions has become a critical priority for Nigeria's offshore oil and gas industry. This paper examines flaring and venting emissions from Nigeria's offshore oil and gas operations, exploring the interplay between operational practices, regulatory frameworks, and technological solutions through an exploratory mixed methods design combing satellite monitoring, regulatory datasets, academic literature and policy documents. The study finds that approximately 5 TCF of gas was flared between 2012 and 2026, generating 264.8 MT of CO2 emissions and an economic loss of approximately USD 17.4 billion to the Nigerian economy. Routine flaring is sustained by three mutually reinforcing drivers: operational infrastructure constraints, economic incentives favouring crude oil production, and structural gaps in gas processing capacity. Satellite derived estimates consistently exceed operator reported figures, confirming systematic underreporting within existing regulatory frameworks. LNG development represents the most viable and mature mitigation pathway, while digital monitoring technologies offer the most immediate applicable improvement for sustainable development. Analysis of NUPRC Gas Production status data for the past five-year period (2021-2025) reveals a declining trend in total gas flared, however, it remains insufficient to meet the 2030 Net Zero routine flaring target. There is a need for an accelerated regulatory requirement and enforcement by oil and gas operators for the development of sustainable infrastructure across Nigeria's upstream sector. This paper proposes an integrated offshore flaring reduction framework combining stakeholders' engagement, technological innovation and regulatory governance to achieve sustainable emission reductions. It advocates that policymakers strengthen penalty regimes for flaring, expand and accelerate the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme and mandate independent satellite monitoring to close persistent measurement gaps to align Nigeria's offshore operations with global decarbonisation commitments. Keywords: Gas flaring and venting, Operational infrastructure constraints, Sustainable development, LNG, Net Zero