KEY POINTS
- NNPC and TotalEnergies renewed their AUSEA methane detection agreement for another 24 months on Thursday.
- The deal targets gas flare reduction and near-zero methane emissions across NNPC’s upstream operations by 2030.
- NNPC’s EVP Upstream says the technology will be scaled across more upstream assets following a successful first phase.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has renewed its agreement with TotalEnergies to extend the deployment of airborne methane and carbon emission detection technology across its upstream operations for another 24 months. The deal was signed at the NNPC Towers in Abuja on Thursday.
The technology at the center of the agreement is the Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications, known as AUSEA. NNPC first signed an agreement to adopt the technology in 2023. That phase has now been formally evaluated and extended. The renewal was signed by NNPC Executive Vice President for Upstream Udy Ntia and TotalEnergies Country Chair and Managing Director Matthieu Bouyer on behalf of their respective organizations.
NNPC said the extended agreement is designed to help it meet its gas flare reduction obligations, its Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 participation requirements and its near-zero methane ambition by 2030.
What AUSEA does and why it matters
AUSEA is not a ground-level monitoring tool. It uses airborne ultralight aircraft equipped with spectrometers to detect and measure methane emissions across wide geographic areas of upstream operations. The technology allows operators to identify emissions sources, quantify leakage volumes and prioritize abatement actions based on measured data rather than estimates.
That distinction matters in a country where methane emissions from upstream oil and gas operations have historically been underreported. Measured, verified and publicly reported data is a precondition for credible emissions reduction commitments. AUSEA provides that foundation.
Ntia: scale it across more assets
Ntia said the first phase of the AUSEA deployment produced results he wants to build on. He expressed clear intent to take the technology beyond its current footprint.
“Today’s signing represents a practical step in NNPC Limited’s journey to build a credible, transparent and action-oriented decarbonisation programme,” Ntia said. “Through the AUSEA initiative, we are strengthening our ability to detect, quantify and prioritise methane abatement opportunities using advanced measurement technology.”
The renewal connects NNPC’s operational commitments to its broader Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter obligations. It also signals that the partnership between NNPC and TotalEnergies on emissions has moved beyond a pilot phase into a sustained programme with a clear 2030 target horizon.
