POWER FAILURE: Nigeria loses 3,100 GWh to gas flaring

•NUPRC, NOSDRA disagree on volume

By Ediri Ejoh

There are indications that the Federal Government’s ambition to transform Nigeria into a gas-driven economy by 2030 is facing significant challenges, as the country lost an estimated 3,100 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity generation potential to persistent gas flaring by oil companies in May 2026.

This came as figures released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) differed from those of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) on the volume of gas flared during the period.

While the NUPRC recorded 17.6 million standard cubic feet (MMSCF) of gas flared in May 2026, NOSDRA put the figure at 30.7 million standard cubic feet (MSCF).