Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) | COP31, Antalya, Türkiye

From Policy Implementation to Investment: Mobilising Technology and Climate Finance for Upstream Sustainability and Decarbonization

Join the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for a high-level strategic panel showcasing actionable pathways in methane abatement, flare gas commercialisation, and geological carbon capture in Africa’s leading energy market.

DateWednesday, 11 November 2026
Time11:00 am to 12:00 noonTürkiye Time (TRT)
Event VenueNigeria PavilionAntalya Expo Center, Türkiye
View ProgrammeExplore Investment Pathways
Executive Brief

Driving Sustainability And Decarbonisation By Mobilising Climate Finance For Nigeria’s Upstream Sector

With Nigeria’s enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021) and the rollout of progressive regulatory frameworks, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is actively transforming policy commitments into bankable green investments.

This COP31 side event convenes international climate financiers, technological innovators, multilateral development banks and upstream producers to showcase concrete decarbonisation pathways in methane abatement, flare gas commercialisation (NGFCP), and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).

Regulatory EnablersThe 2023 Gas Flaring, Venting and Methane Regulations set clear compliance requirements for operators.
Strategic PartnershipsCollaboration with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), UNEP, CCAC, CATF, World Bank Group, NOD, SDN and NRGI.
Target Metrics

Upstream Sustainability Impact Baseline

Quantitative targets driving Nigeria’s oil and gas climate roadmap.

Methane Abatement Potential
533kt CH4/yr

Estimated cost of US$65M to US$95M a year; the lower figure assumes recovered gas sells at US$5/MMBtu.

NGFCP Flare Gas Capture
250MMscf/d

About US$500M investment potential and about 6 Mt CO2 a year reduction (about 50% of routine flaring).

Clean LPG Energy Access
170,000tonnes/yr

Enough clean cooking energy for about 1.4 million Nigerian households.

CO2 Storage Capacity
10,700Gt CO2

Prospective storage (mid-case), including about 3.4 Gt across 606 depleted oil and gas fields.

Investment Opportunities

Three Strategic Decarbonisation Pathways

Structured operational frameworks ready for technology deployment and climate capital mobilisation.

01

Methane Abatement And Technology Marketplace

Under the 2023 Gas Flaring, Venting and Methane Regulations, upstream operators are required to carry out leak detection and repair (LDAR) and to replace high-bleed pneumatic devices. This pathway opens a transparent marketplace for international technology vendors and equipment suppliers.

Key technology demand and interventions
Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) and LDAROptical gas imaging and other methane detection, including continuous, aerial and drone monitoring of fugitive emissions.
Vapour Recovery Units (VRUs)Units that capture vapour from storage tanks so recovered gas can be sold.
Zero-Bleed PneumaticsElectric, zero-bleed or instrument-air alternatives to natural-gas-driven pneumatic pumps and controllers.
Digital MRV SystemsMeasurement, reporting and verification platforms, including satellite-enabled monitoring.

About The Event

As attention shifts from commitments to implementation, countries need practical models showing how policy drives measurable climate action. Upstream petroleum producers must balance energy security, economic development and emissions reduction through credible regulation.

NUPRC has embedded climate and net-zero considerations into upstream regulation, compliance and long-term sector change. This side event goes beyond showing regulatory progress. It presents an investment proposition: Nigeria's policy directives create identifiable demand for methane measurement and abatement technologies, gas-flare commercialisation infrastructure, digital MRV systems and other emissions-reduction solutions.

The event connects those needs with technology providers, investors, development finance institutions and climate-finance partners who can support deployment at scale. The emphasis is on measurable post-COP outcomes, not general visibility.

Objectives

Why COP31

NUPRC used earlier COPs to communicate milestones, including the 2022 Guidelines for the Management of Fugitive Methane and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Upstream Oil and Gas Operations in Nigeria, and the Upstream Decarbonization Framework presented at COP28. COP31 is the chance to turn those signals into investable pathways.

Implementing the methane guidelines exposed technology needs held back by high equipment costs, reliance on imports, limited technical capacity and infrastructure gaps. Yet measures such as LDAR, vapor recovery and replacing gas-driven equipment can have low or negative marginal abatement costs where recovered gas can be sold.

The Investment Opportunity

Priority Technology Areas

Methane Abatement

533 kt
CH4 cut per year by the measures assessed
US$95m
estimated cost per year
US$65m
cost per year if recovered upstream gas sells at US$5/MMBtu

National-level analytical estimates, not project-specific investment figures.

NGFCP: Flagship Investment Case

The NGFCP aims to end routine flaring, monetise flare gas, attract foreign direct investment, deepen indigenous participation and support Nigeria's Energy Transition Plan and NDC.

250 MMscf/d
flare-gas capacity at NGFCP sites if projects are executed
~US$500m
investment potential from project funding
~50%
cut in routine flaring, about 6 million tonnes CO2 a year
170,000 t
LPG a year, enough to serve about 1.4 million households

CCUS And Geological CO2 Storage

The Energy Transition Plan and NDC 3.0 name CCS as a cross-cutting mitigation measure. Nigeria's CO2 Storage Atlas (IFC, 2025) estimates about 10,700 Gt of prospective storage (mid-case; about 2,700 Gt low, 29,000 Gt high), concentrated in the Niger Delta, against about 66 Mtpa of identified emissions.

Storage TierAtlas EvidenceReadiness
Depleted fields (Niger Delta)About 3.4 Gt across 606 fields; the roughly 20% of fields of 30 Mt or more hold nearly halfNear-term, lowest risk. Best entry point.
Saline aquifers (Niger Delta Miocene)About 4,700 Gt mid-case (about 44% of total); lowest-risk playAppraisal wells and modelling needed
Frontier basins (Dahomey, Benue, Chad, Bida)For example Bida, about 1,300 Gt, no exploration wellsEarly screening only

Why Nigeria

Programme And Event Procedure

The session is packaged around the "NUPRC Upstream Decarbonization Investment & Technology Pipeline": technology needs, deployment scale, expected emissions or flare-reduction outcome, value proposition, financing requirement, local-content opportunity and next step.

11:00 Keynote Address (5 Min)

Keynote address by the Commission Chief Executive (CCE).

11:05 Presentation (10 Min)

Setting the scene: “From Regulatory Action to Investment: Unlocking Opportunities in Gas Flare Elimination and Methane Abatement.”

11:15 Panel Session 1 (20 Min)

Flare Monetization and Methane Abatement: Scaling Technology, Investment and Strategic Partnerships.

11:35 Q&A (5 Min)

Questions on Panel 1.

11:40 CCUS Scene-Setting (5 Min)

Nigeria’s CCUS potential and opportunities, informed by the CO2 Storage Atlas.

11:45 Panel Session 2 (10 Min)

“Unlocking Nigeria’s CO2 Storage Potential: Mobilising Investment and Partnerships for CCS Deployment.” Includes feasibility work by NLNG, Indorama and Artery Resources Limited.

11:55 Q&A (2 Min)

Questions on CCUS.

11:57 Closing (3 Min)

Closing by EC, HSEC: agree priority leads, focal points, due-diligence actions and the post-COP31 timetable.

MoU Signing

Signing of MoU between NUPRC and EDF.

Expected Outcomes

Meet The Delegation

Proposed Panel

Strategic Engagements

S/NEventNUPRC RoleOrganizationDate And TimeVenue
1Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Methane Management
Theme: From Estimate to Evidence: How MRV and LDAR are delivering the Oil and Gas share of Nigeria’s NDC.		Deliver the opening address at Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Methane Management side eventFleissen & Company11 November 2026, 10:00 amNigeria Pavilion, COP31, Antalya
2Ministerial Side Event on Decarbonisation of the Oil and Gas Sector
Theme: Decarbonizing Africa’s Energy Engine: Policy, Technology, and Capital Strategies for Nigeria’s Oil & Gas Sector Transition. High-level ministerial dialogue and a technical-level session.		CCE’s participation in the high-level panel discussion to contribute regulatory perspectives on decarbonisation efforts and initiatives. Nomination of a senior-level representative to participate in the technical session.Ministry of Petroleum Resources (Gas)13 November 2026, 14:00 to 15:30Nigeria Pavilion
3COP31 Pre-Launch Side Event and the Inaugural National Legislative Climate Investment SummitPanel contribution to discussions on how decarbonisation-aligned regulatory principles can inform the design and evaluation of subnational projectsNASSTo be confirmedTo be confirmed
4The Unplugged Experience at COP31: Showcasing Nigerian Innovation for Sustainable Energy Access
Theme: Innovating for Climate Resilience: The IRESS Solar Inverter Backpack for Sustainable Energy Access		Panellist: “Power in Motion: Mobile and Distributed Clean Energy for Africa’s Last Mile”, high-level eventiRESS Renewable Energy Storage SolutionWednesday, 11 November 2026, 10:30 to 11:30 amSpecial Events Room 4, Perge, Antalya EXPO Center
5High-Level Session at the Pavilion of Finland: Forging Strategic Partnership with Finland and the Nordic Region on Energy Transition and Upstream Decarbonization
Theme: The Nordic-Africa Green Investment Alliance: Unlocking Nordic Capital for Energy, Food Security and Climate Investment in Africa.		Panellist at the high-level sessionThe African Business Roundtable (ABR)Wednesday, 18 November 2026, 10:00 amPavilion of Finland at COP31, Blue Zone
6High Level Panel Discussion: Nigeria’s Economic Diversification from Oil and Gas: Progress and PartnershipsPanellist at the High-Level SessionBeyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA)10 November 2026, 4:00 to 4:45 pmNigeria Pavilion
7People, Planet & Energy: Strengthening Climate Transparency and Just Transition Governance in Nigeria’s Petroleum SectorCo-Organizers and Technical dialogue participantsAfrican Green Economy & Sustainability Institute (AGESI)To be confirmedTo be confirmed

NUPRC Regulations And Guidelines

Read the instruments behind the event on the NUPRC website.