NNPC Targets 10Bcf/d Gas Output by 2027 for Global Hub

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is pursuing multiple pathways to raise national gas production to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030, as part of a plan to position Nigeria as a global gas hub, the company's Executive Vice President for Gas, Power and New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, said at the GASTECH conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday.

Ogunleye spoke during a panel session titled "The New LNG Order: Leadership Strategies for Energy Security and Growth," according to a statement issued by NNPC's Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Andy Odeh.

He said Nigeria is drawing on its more than 215 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves to drive domestic industrialisation and expand its export market, at a time when geopolitical tensions and conflicts continue to affect global energy supply and demand.

"Gas development and monetisation from Nigeria's standpoint is a purely commercial play," Ogunleye said, describing NNPC's Gas Master Plan (GMP) as a tool designed to move Nigeria's reserves position from 215 trillion cubic feet toward more than 600 trillion cubic feet.

Gas Master Plan targets $60bn in investment

NNPC's approach rests on stronger coordination under the Petroleum Industry Act, the Decade of Gas Framework and the Gas Master Plan, Ogunleye said. NNPC unveiled the plan, known as GMP 2026, in January, with Group Chief Executive Officer Bayo Ojulari describing Nigeria's gas reserves at the time as one of the world's most significant hydrocarbon endowments, with an upside potential of up to 600 trillion cubic feet.

Ojulari said the plan was designed to exceed the presidential mandate of raising national gas production to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030, and is expected to catalyse more than $60 billion in investment across the oil and gas value chain by 2030.

According to Ojulari, the plan prioritises cost optimisation, operational efficiency, and converting gas resources from 3P to bankable 2P reserves, industry terms describing the level of certainty attached to estimated gas volumes, with 2P reserves considered more commercially reliable than the broader 3P category.

The plan also aims to strengthen gas supply to power generation, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), mini-LNG facilities and other major industrial buyers, and was developed with input from industry stakeholders, partners and investors, Ojulari said.

Nigeria pursues both LNG exports and domestic use

At GASTECH, Ogunleye said Nigeria is already a reliable global gas supplier and is pursuing a major expansion of its liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity.

He pointed to the Nigeria LNG project's Trains 1-6, which have a combined production capacity of 22 million tonnes per annum and have exported more than 6,000 LNG cargoes since 1999, as well as Train 7, scheduled for completion in 2027, as part of the country's ongoing expansion.

Ogunleye said Nigeria's geographic position, which gives it access to both the Atlantic Basin and Asian markets, strengthens its case as a strategic global gas supplier, alongside its substantial reserves and renewed national focus on gas development..

He stated that domestic gas use and exports are not mutually exclusive, describing a dual approach in which exports generate foreign exchange while expanded domestic gas use creates jobs, strengthens energy security and improves economic wellbeing.

He added that Nigeria has worked to de-risk new LNG projects through a legal and regulatory framework backed by fiscal incentives.

"With continued efforts towards stable security, competitive gas pricing and assured gas supply, there is no better time for investors and financiers to participate in the development of Nigeria's LNG projects confidently," Ogunleye said.

GASTECH, now in its 54th edition, is a major global conference focused on natural gas, LNG, hydrogen and low-carbon solutions, bringing together about 50,000 participants from more than 150 countries to discuss energy security, LNG supply, infrastructure investment and decarbonisation.