Nigeria’s Q1 Gas Production Rises Marginally to 687bscf, Flaring Drops 8%
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Nigeria’s gas production rose by about 3 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, while gas flaring declined by over 8 per cent year-on-year, according to data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
THISDAY analysis of the commission’s gas production status reports for the first three months of 2025 and 2026 showed that total gas output increased from 667.27 Billion Standard Cubic Feet (BSCF) in Q1 2025 to 687.09 billion scf in Q1 2026.
The increase of approximately 19.81 billion standard cubic feet represented a year-on-year growth of about 2.97 per cent, highlighting continued slow but steady expansion in Nigeria’s gas sector amid the federal government’s push to deepen gas utilisation and monetisation.
Besides, the NUPRC figures showed that January 2026 gas production stood at 233.96 billion scf, compared to 236.32 billion scf in January 2025. However, production rebounded strongly in the subsequent months, with February 2026 output rising to 212.62 billion scf from 199.68 billion scf in February 2025.
March 2026 production also climbed to 240.51 billion scf, compared to 231.28 billion scf recorded in March 2025, making it the highest monthly production level within the review period.
At the same time, the data showed marked improvement in gas flare management. Total gas flared in Q1 2025 stood at 50.95 billion scf, compared to 46.83 billion scf in Q1 2026. The reduction of about 4.12 billion scf translated to a decline of roughly 8.1 per cent year-on-year.
Similarly, average flare intensity improved significantly during the period. The average gas flare rate dropped from about 7.65 per cent in Q1 2025 to approximately 6.81 per cent in Q1 2026, indicating that a larger proportion of produced gas was captured for productive use rather than burnt off.
In the same vein, monthly flare rates for Q1 2025 were 7.92 per cent in January, 7.94 per cent in February and 7.08 per cent in March. For Q1 2026, the flare rates declined to 7.34 per cent in January, 6.62 per cent in February and 6.48 per cent in March.
The data also revealed a significant shift in the structure of Nigeria’s gas production. Associated gas production, which is gas produced alongside crude oil, declined during the review period.
Total associated gas output fell from 370.28 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 332.82 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026. In contrast, non-associated gas production recorded substantial growth.
Non-associated gas output increased from 296.99 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 354.17 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026, suggesting increased contribution from standalone gas projects and dedicated gas developments, rather than reliance on oil-linked gas production.
Also, export gas sales recorded one of the strongest improvements during the quarter. The NUPRC data showed that export gas sales rose from 223.99 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 292.87 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026.
This represented an increase of about 68.89 billion standard cubic feet or approximately 30.75 per cent year-on-year. The increase, THISDAY learnt, was likely driven by stronger Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export performance and improved international demand for Nigerian gas supplies.
However, domestic gas sales weakened slightly during the same period. Domestic sales declined from 186.98 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2025 to 171.15 billion standard cubic feet in Q1 2026, representing a drop of roughly 8.5 per cent. This raised concerns regarding the adequacy of gas supply to Nigeria’s domestic market, especially for power generation and industrial use. Despite the decline in domestic sales, gas utilisation efficiency improved marginally due to lower flare volumes. The improved flare metrics suggested that operators were more efficient in capturing and commercialising produced gas. According to the data, total utilised gas stood at 639.91 billion scf in Q1 2025 and 639.68 billion scf in Q1 2026, indicating relatively stable utilisation volumes despite higher production.
With proven gas reserves estimated at about 215.19 trillion cubic feet (TCF), Nigeria has in recent years increasingly prioritised natural gas as a transition fuel capable of supporting domestic energy needs, industrial growth, petrochemical expansion and export earnings.
The federal government has also intensified efforts to reduce routine gas flaring through stricter regulatory enforcement and commercialisation initiatives targeted at flare gas recovery, especially through the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP).
