SDN Donates Digital Tracker to Help Oil Regulators Detect Methane Emissions

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) has handed over a digital platform to Nigeria’s oil and gas regulators to strengthen the monitoring of methane emissions, independently verify operators’ reports and improve environmental enforcement.

The platform, known as the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Emission Tracker (NOGIET), integrates satellite-based methane detection, maps of oil blocks and pipelines, and emissions data submitted by facility operators.

SDN Board Chairman, Inemo Samiama, presented the platform to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in Abuja, describing it as a major step towards strengthening environmental accountability in the oil and gas industry.

He said the technology would enable regulators to compare satellite observations with emissions data reported by operators, identify discrepancies, trace emissions to specific facilities and prioritise inspections.

“Methane is one of the most powerful drivers of near-term climate change. Over 20 years, a tonne of methane warms the planet more than 80 times as much as a tonne of carbon dioxide,” Samiama said.

He noted that Nigeria had committed to reducing methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, stressing that effective regulation depended on reliable monitoring and access to accurate data. “Regulators cannot enforce what they cannot see,” he said.

Samiama said NOGIET was developed with support from the Global Methane Hub to provide both the NUPRC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) with a clearer picture of methane emissions across the oil and gas sector.

He said SDN handed over the platform’s front-end and back-end components at no cost, adding that the system would be transferred to the commission’s sub-domain. A separate handover would also be conducted for NMDPRA to enable both regulators to operate and manage the platform.

The SDN chairman urged the commission to integrate the tracker into its routine monitoring, inspection and enforcement activities, while ensuring that its data remained updated and the system secure.

“NOGIET is strongest when the satellite and the ground-truthed data speak together,” he said, emphasising the importance of combining independent satellite observations with measurements from oil and gas facilities.

Also speaking, the Executive Commissioner for Health, Safety, Environment and Community at NUPRC, Capt. John Tonlagha, commended SDN and the Global Methane Hub for their technical and financial support.

Tonlagha said the platform would strengthen emissions surveillance, help identify pollution hotspots and improve the credibility and reliability of environmental data.

He described the initiative as timely, noting that the commission was intensifying implementation of its 2022 guidelines on the management of fugitive methane and greenhouse gas emissions in the upstream oil and gas sector.

According to him, the guidelines require operators to transition from estimated emissions reporting to measurement-based reporting by the first quarter of 2027.

He said NOGIET aligned with the commission’s digital transformation agenda and Nigeria’s commitments to reducing methane emissions, ending routine gas flaring and achieving net-zero emissions by 2060.

Tonlagha added that the commission would work towards integrating the platform into its regulatory monitoring and data management systems to ensure its effective and sustainable use.

The Director of Health, Safety, Environment and Community at NUPRC, Abdulafiz Balogun, said the tracker would enable the commission to independently verify emissions data submitted by operators, strengthening technology-driven environmental regulation.

Balogun said the commission would collaborate with SDN to integrate the system into its digital infrastructure and ensure it delivered measurable improvements in emissions monitoring, regulatory compliance and enforcement.