Nigeria produced 2.71 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of gas in 2025, exporting about 35 per cent of total output, according to new data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
The 2025 production figure surpassed the 2.5 trillion scf recorded in 2024. Of the 2.71 trillion scf produced last year, 942.7 billion scf was exported, representing 34.8 per cent of total production.
The report showed that domestic gas sales amounted to 780.6 billion scf, while 776.6 billion scf was utilised for field operations.
Overall, total gas utilised in 2025 reached 2.50 trillion scf, translating to a utilisation rate of 92.4 per cent. Associated gas accounted for 1.456 trillion scf, while non-associated gas production stood at 1.25 trillion scf, indicating a relatively balanced contribution from both sources.
On a monthly basis, production peaked in July at 250.9 billion scf. Other strong months included May, with 244.4 billion scf, and June, with 239.0 billion scf.
However, output declined sharply in September to 198.3 billion scf, the lowest monthly production recorded in 2025. Production recovered to 221.1 billion scf in October before moderating to about 212.5 billion scf in both November and December. The commission noted that fourth-quarter figures remain provisional pending reconciliation.
Export sales of 942.7 billion scf exceeded domestic sales by more than 162 billion scf during the year, highlighting the dominance of the export market in Nigeria’s gas sector.
Monthly export volumes were highest in December at 101.9 billion scf. November recorded 90.7 billion scf, while July posted 90.3 billion scf. In contrast, exports dropped to 45.4 billion scf in September.
Domestic sales peaked in May at 73.0 billion scf and remained above 69 billion scf in both June and July. The lowest domestic sales were recorded in November at 56.2 billion scf and December at 56.1 billion scf.
Gas flaring for the year totalled 204.0 billion scf, representing 7.54 per cent of total production. September recorded the highest flare rate at 9.05 per cent, with about 18.0 billion scf flared. In absolute terms, July recorded the highest flared volume at 18.3 billion scf.
The lowest monthly flared volume was recorded in December at 15.4 billion scf, followed by November at 15.8 billion scf.
Despite strong utilisation levels, the flaring of about 204 billion scf indicates that significant volumes remain unmonetised.
In October, the NNPC Limited/Heirs Energies OML 17 Joint Venture signed Gas Flare Commercialisation Agreements under the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme and approved frameworks.
At a ceremony in Lagos, the joint venture said the agreements marked a shift from regulatory approvals to structured commercial execution. The initiative is expected to capture flare gas volumes across OML 17 for productive use, including power generation, industrial applications, cooking gas and compressed natural gas.
The agreements brought together Heirs Energies, as operator of the OML 17 Joint Venture, and approved flare gas offtakers to eliminate routine flaring and convert previously wasted gas into economic value.
