By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s gas output rose by 2.2 per cent in December 2023, as data obtained from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, revealed that oil and gas companies operating in the country produced 150.229 billion standard cubic feet (SCF) of gas in the month compared with November 2023’s gas output of 146.991 billion SCF (BSCF).
The NNPC, however, stated that 7.75 per cent of the total gas produced in the month under review, put at 11.646 billion, was flared.
The oil firm added that the volume of gas flared in December 2023 was 1.53 per cent higher than the 11.471 billion SCF of gas flared in November 2023.
Giving a breakdown of total gas output in the month under review, the NNPC stated that Associated Gas output stood at 97.903 billion, representing 65.2 per cent of total gas output; while Non-Associated Gas output stood at 52.327 billion SCF, representing 34.83 per cent of total output.
Furthermore, the NNPC noted that of the total gas produced in the month, 8.788 billion SCF was utilised as fuel gas; 61.21 billion SCF was utilised by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG); while 1.365 billion SCF and 1.84 billion SCF was utilised for the manufacture of Natural Gas Liquids/Liquefied Petroleum Gas (NGL/LPG).
The national oil company further stated that domestic gas sales stood at 23.447 billion SCF; while 41.931 billion SCF of gas was re-injected and utilised for gas lift make up.
To this end, total gas utilised in the month under review stood at 138.954 billion SCF, rising by 2.54 per cent compared with 135.518 billion SCF recorded in November 2023; while gas flared stood at 11.646 billion SCF.
The NNPC reported that Shell Nigeria, under the joint venture segment, recorded the highest gas output in the month under review, accounting for 24.24 per cent of total gas output with 36.416 billion SCF of gas.
TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria (TEPNG) followed with 19.812 billion SCF of gas, while Mobil and Chevron trailed with 19.731 billion SCF and 17.917 billion SCF of gas, respectively.
In the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) segment, Star Deepwater Agbami Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel recorded 12.409 billion SCF of gas, Total Upstream Nigeria recorded 12.087 billion SCF, while Esso Exploration Production Nigeria and Esso Erha FPSO recorded 4.575 billion SCF and 4.412 billion SCF was recorded respectively.
On the other hand, the NNPC disclosed that the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company/Seplat Development Company (SPDC) joint venture; Seplat Petroleum; NPDC-Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) joint venture, were the worst offenders in the month under review, with all of them flaring their entire (100 per cent) oil output.
Modupe Gbadeyanka