Nigeria’s gas flaring hits 7.48% in August, highest since October 2025

Nigeria's gas flaring rate surged to 7.48% in August 2026, marking the highest level since October 2025, according to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). The volume of gas flared increased to 18,350.55 MMSCF, a notable rise from the previous months. Despite this, gas utilization remained relatively high at 92.5%, with 227,088.59 MMSCF used for field operations, domestic supply, and exports.

The country produced 245,439.13 MMSCF of gas, combining associated and non-associated gas in August 2026. The 2026 data reveals that gas flaring stayed above 6% rate throughout the first eight months of the year, marking a year-on-year increase of 1,621.20 MMSCF or 9.7%. This is a significant rise, increasing by 0.11 percentage points compared to August 2025.

The total gas production in August 2026 rose from 227,015.22 MMSCF in August 2025 to 245,439.13 MMSCF, a 8.1% increase. In 2025, Nigeria flared 203,965 MMSCF, amounting to about 203.9 billion standard cubic feet, despite a 92.4% overall gas utilization. The World Bank reported an 8% increase in gas flaring volumes alongside an 8% increase in oil production in 2025.

In October 2025, NUPRC launched a comprehensive Gas Development Roadmap to unlock over 55 trillion cubic feet of uncommitted gas reserves and attract substantial investments into Nigeria's gas value chain.