Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) has called on the global gas industry to make methane reduction a core business priority, arguing that every tonne of methane released is lost revenue and marketable gas.
Speaking at the Gastech 2026 Exhibition and Conference in Bangkok on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, NLNG’s Managing Director and CEO, Adeleye Falade, delivered his remarks during an executive leadership panel titled “Capturing the Lost Opportunity: Driving Global Alignment on Methane Abatement Across Natural Gas Supply Chains.”
Falade said the industry must shift from framing methane reduction as a cost to recognising the value it creates, noting that preventing gas losses serves both commercial and environmental goals.
“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 said.
Falade pointed to NLNG’s recent investments—such as a new boil-off gas compressor and a start-up gas recovery project—as practical examples. He said each initiative targets methane reductions of about 10–15% and carries a positive projected net present value, meaning expected financial benefits exceed costs over the projects’ lifetimes.
“The most compelling business case is the simplest one: the projects that cut our methane also pay for themselves. The same discipline that reduces methane also improves asset reliability and plant efficiency. The returns show up in more places than the emissions ledger,” Falade said.
“Measurement, reporting and verification NLNG’s approach begins with credible measurement to identify losses, guide investment in leak prevention and gas recovery, and verify results independently. The company externally verifies more than 99.5% of its emissions and uses technologies including site-wide optical gas imaging, structured Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programmes, and phased deployment of continuous monitoring with real-time dashboards across its plant and vessels.”
Falade highlighted NLNG’s Gold Standard recognition under the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0, noting it was the first company in Africa to achieve Level 5 methane emissions reporting. He added that NLNG’s measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) system is independently assured by DNV in line with ISO 14064.
He stressed that credible measurement is “a function of commitment and not a function of geography,” and that NLNG’s experience shows producers in developing economies can build globally trusted emissions-reporting systems by investing in monitoring infrastructure, reporting capabilities and independent scrutiny.
National impact and Train 7 integration
At the national level, Falade said NLNG’s long-standing role in monetising gas that would otherwise be flared has helped cut Nigeria’s gas-flaring rate from over 65% to under 20%, describing this conversion of wasted gas into a marketable product as the original commercial case for emissions abatement.
He also noted that methane reduction is being embedded into the design of NLNG’s Train 7 project, which will lift LNG production capacity from 22 million to 30 million tonnes per annum.
Falade said methane intensity increasingly influences procurement decisions, financing and buyer confidence. NLNG is extending its measurement and reduction discipline through its formal Scope 3 Advocacy Plan, engaging feed-gas suppliers and contractors to measure, disclose and cut emissions, sourcing verified upstream emissions data, and incorporating ESG and emissions criteria into supplier selection and evaluation.
On regulation, he called for greater consistency across jurisdictions, warning that divergent measurement methods and reporting requirements lead to uneven enforcement and make meaningful comparisons difficult. “The industry does not need weaker standards; it needs stronger, shared ones backed by real measurement,” he said.
Addressing the balance between climate goals, energy access and affordability, Falade said NLNG’s operations support Nigeria’s targets of net-zero emissions by 2060 and zero routine flaring by 2030. He stressed that emissions progress must go hand in hand with meeting the energy needs of households and businesses.
“Developing economies cannot be asked to choose between economic development and emissions reduction. Both must progress together,” he said.
Falade spoke alongside Zubin Bamji (World Bank), Niels Dijksman (Brunei LNG) and Hiroyuki Mori (JOGMEC). The session was moderated by Dr Carole Nakhle of Crystol Energy.
