TotalEnergies SE has eliminated routine gas flaring across all its operated upstream assets in Nigeria, achieving the milestone by the end of 2023 as part of its strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support cleaner energy production.
The French energy major has also deployed about 2,500 Permanent Emission Monitoring Systems (PEMS) across its Nigerian operations and uses its proprietary AUSEA drone-based technology to detect and measure methane emissions, helping to improve emissions monitoring and operational efficiency.
The company’s emissions reduction strategy is expected to advance further through the Ubeta gas project, one of Nigeria’s major upcoming upstream developments. TotalEnergies says the project is being developed with low-emission technologies, including a dedicated 5-megawatt solar power plant, positioning it among the world’s first “near net-zero” upstream gas projects.
While TotalEnergies’ progress highlights the potential for lower-emission hydrocarbon production, routine gas flaring remains a challenge across Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Achieving the country’s goal of ending routine gas flaring will require sustained investment in gas gathering and processing infrastructure, stronger regulatory enforcement, and broader adoption of emissions-reduction technologies across the sector.
