Oil major partners Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) and TotalEnergies have renewed their decarbonisation partnership for another 24 months, extending the deployment of advanced methane detection technology as Nigeria’s national oil company intensifies efforts to curb emissions and align with global climate commitments.
The agreement, signed in Abuja by NNPC Ltd.’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mr Udy Ntia, and TotalEnergies Country Chair and Managing Director, Mr Matthieu Bouyer, will see continued deployment of the Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications (AUSEA) technology across upstream assets.
The extension builds on a 2023 agreement under which the technology was first introduced into NNPC’s operations.
Industry observers view the move as part of a broader shift by oil and gas companies towards stricter emissions management, amid growing investor scrutiny and international pressure to reduce methane emissions, one of the most potent greenhouse gases linked to climate change.
Methane reduction has become a central pillar of decarbonisation strategies across the global energy industry because the gas has a significantly higher warming effect than carbon dioxide over a shorter period.
According to a statement issued by NNPC Ltd.’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr Olufemi Soneye, Ntia described the renewed partnership as a practical step toward building a transparent and results-driven decarbonisation programme.
He said the deployment of AUSEA technology would strengthen the company’s ability to accurately detect, measure and prioritise methane abatement opportunities through advanced emissions-monitoring systems.
The initiative is expected to support NNPC’s commitment under the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter (OGDC), its participation in the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0, and its target of achieving near-zero methane emissions by 2030.
Beyond regulatory compliance, analysts say improved emissions monitoring could help Nigerian operators enhance operational efficiency by identifying gas losses that might otherwise go undetected.
Ntia also stressed the need for structured progress reporting and greater knowledge transfer, signalling NNPC’s intention to institutionalise emissions management practices across its upstream portfolio.
For TotalEnergies, the agreement reinforces its long-standing position on emissions reduction in Nigeria.
The company’s Senior Vice President, Africa, Mr Mike Sangster, said TotalEnergies had successfully eliminated routine gas flaring across all its Nigerian assets, noting that AUSEA technology played a key role in achieving that milestone.
Developed by TotalEnergies, in partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research and the University of Reims, AUSEA is a drone-based system capable of detecting and quantifying methane emissions, identifying previously unaccounted emission sources and assessing flare combustion efficiency.
Its continued deployment underscores the growing role of technology in helping energy companies balance hydrocarbon production with environmental sustainability objectives, as Nigeria seeks to position its oil and gas sector for a lower-carbon future.