Nigeria Leverages 215tcf Gas Reserves To Court Global Buyers, Expand Exports — NNPC

Nigeria is leveraging its proven 215 trillion cubic feet (tcf) gas reserves to attract global buyers and expand liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has said.

NNPC Ltd.’s executive vice president, Gas, Power & New Energy, Olalekan Ogunleye, made the disclosure on Monday at the 2026 Gas Technology & Exhibition Conference (GASTECH) in Bangkok, Thailand, where he spoke on a panel themed “The New LNG Order: Leadership Strategies for Energy Security and Growth.”

Ogunleye said that amid shifting geopolitics and supply disruptions affecting global energy markets, Nigeria is positioning its gas endowment as both a commercial opportunity and a strategic tool for industrialisation. He noted that the country’s gas development and monetisation strategy is “a purely commercial play,” anchored on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Decade of Gas Framework and NNPC’s Gas Master Plan (GMP).

The GMP, he explained, is designed as a “gap-to-potential” roadmap to move Nigeria from its current 215tcf of proven reserves to above 600tcf, while ramping up national gas production to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by 2027 and 12 Bcf/d by 2030.

Citing Nigeria’s existing LNG footprint, Ogunleye pointed to Trains 1–6, which have a combined capacity of 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) and have exported more than 6,000 LNG cargoes since 1999. He added that Train 7, currently under construction, is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will further boost export capacity.

The NNPC executive highlighted Nigeria’s geographical advantage as a supplier well-positioned for both the Atlantic Basin and Asian markets, saying this, combined with the country’s substantial resource base and policy focus on gas, makes it a strategic player in the evolving global LNG order.

He stressed that domestic gas utilisation and gas for export are not mutually exclusive. According to Ogunleye, Nigeria has adopted a dual pathway that uses exports to earn foreign exchange while advancing domestic gas use to create jobs, deepen energy security and improve economic wellbeing.

To encourage investment, he said Nigeria has de-risked new LNG projects through a robust legal and regulatory framework backed by attractive fiscal incentives. “With continued efforts towards stable security, competitive gas pricing and assured gas supply, there is no better time for investors and financiers to confidently participate in the development of Nigeria’s LNG projects,” he concluded.

GASTECH, now in its 54th edition, is the world’s largest exhibition and conference focused on natural gas, LNG, hydrogen and low-carbon solutions. The event brings together about 50,000 participants from over 150 countries, including energy experts, CEOs, policymakers, investors and technology leaders, to discuss energy security, LNG supply, infrastructure investment and decarbonisation.