The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has unveiled plans to increase Nigeria’s gas supply by an additional 1.8 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in 2026, as demand rises across power, industrial and export markets.
The announcement was made in Abuja during a meeting with members of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, where company officials outlined projections under the Gas Master Plan (GMP) 2026. According to the plan, subsidiaries, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS) and Nigerian Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), are expected to ramp up production this year by 1.496 bcf/d and 223.6 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d), respectively.
NNPC said the projected increase forms part of a broader strategy to meet national supply targets of 10 bcf/d by 2027 and 12 bcf/d by 2030. Officials noted that demand growth from liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, gas-fired power plants, industrial parks and compressed natural gas (CNG) adoption has made expansion urgent. The Gas Master Plan, they said, provides the framework for aligning production growth with federal government objectives.
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Speaking at the engagement, NNPC Group Managing Director, Bayo Ojulari, said the strategy is designed to fulfil the administration’s directive to scale up gas output and attract new capital into the sector.
“The plan is designed to deliver the presidential mandate of increasing national production to 10 bcf/d by 2027 and 12bcf/d by 2030, while catalysing over $60 billion in new investments across the oil and gas value chain by 2030,” he said.
Ojulari outlined critical success factors for implementation, including sustained domestic and global demand, strong governance mechanisms, collaboration among industry players, and improved access to financing through commercially viable gas projects. He also stressed the need for competitive fiscal terms to encourage investment in deepwater gas exploration, alongside reforms in the electricity sector to strengthen the gas-to-power value chain.
Under the master plan, NNPC is adopting a hub-based development model that clusters gas assets to optimise infrastructure deployment and production efficiency.
The company disclosed that a ranking exercise has identified 23 high-potential gas hubs expected to drive supply growth in the short to medium term. With Nigeria positioning gas as a transition fuel and economic growth driver, the planned expansion signals a renewed push to leverage the country’s vast reserves to boost energy security, industrialisation and export earnings.
