Yemisi Izuora
Seplat Energy Plc has challenged operating oil and gas companies to ensure their operations are driven by practical actions, including efficiency improvements, emissions reduction, and credible offsetting strategies.
The company said it has embedded those principles into its operations and had exemplified it with the launch of a comprehensive programme several years ago to end routine gas flaring across its onshore assets.
It expected that by the end of last year all projects required to achieve this objective had been delivered and are currently at the commissioning stage.
The company reaffirmed this commitment after it announced backing the Nigerian Exchange Group’s newly launched Net-Zero Programme, outlining its approach to responsible oil and gas operations as the NGX moves to position listed companies to attract between $2.5 billion and $3.1 billion in climate-linked capital.
Seplat Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brown, said the central issue confronting Nigeria’s energy sector is not the continued relevance of oil and gas, but how operators manage environmental, social, and economic responsibilities.
Brown, represented by the company’s Director, Gas & New Energy, Mr. Okechukwu Mba, stated, “Oil and gas will remain an important part of Nigeria’s energy mix for some time to come. The right conversation is not whether oil and gas should exist, but how operators conduct themselves responsibly,” he said.
He said responsible operations must be driven by practical actions, including efficiency improvements, emissions reduction, and credible offsetting strategies, adding that Seplat Energy has already embedded these principles into its operations.
He disclosed that the company had launched a comprehensive programme several years ago to end routine gas flaring across its onshore assets, noting that by the end of last year all projects required to achieve this objective had been delivered and are currently at the commissioning stage.
“Very soon, we will be able to clearly state that routine flaring has ended in our onshore operations. This is an important milestone that speaks to our stewardship of the environment, while remaining focused on delivering energy to the nation,” he said.
According to him, Seplat has also deployed technology to strengthen operational control, including real-time monitoring of emissions across pipelines, valves, plants, and other critical infrastructure, supported by an asset integrity programme designed to detect and eliminate emissions.
Beyond direct operations, Mba said the company is pursuing nature-based solutions as part of its emissions management framework. In one of its host communities in Edo State, Seplat Energy has commenced an afforestation programme committing to plant millions of trees over a five-year period, with the first phase already completed.
He also pointed to the company’s gas and LPG investments as part of efforts to reduce emissions beyond its asset base. He said expanded LPG availability supports a shift away from firewood, charcoal, and other biomass fuels, particularly in communities outside major urban centres.
Following Seplat Energy’s offshore acquisition, Mba said LPG that was previously exported has now been redirected to the domestic market, improving availability, affordability, and market quality.
Brown, further stressed that financing remains a major constraint to Nigeria’s energy transition, particularly for gas and gas-to-power projects. He said that while about five gigawatts of electricity currently come from the national grid, a much larger share of power is self-generated through petrol and diesel generators with significantly higher emissions.
“If we replace these inefficient power sources with gas-powered energy, we can achieve substantial decarbonisation. But without adequate financing, these projects cannot be implemented, and the benefits will not be realised,” he said.
The NGX Net-Zero Programme (N-Zero), unveiled at a high-level climate roundtable in Lagos organised by NGX Group in partnership with DEG, Germany’s development finance institution, and Africa Foresight Group, is designed to support listed companies in defining net-zero pathways, improving climate-related disclosures, and aligning with global investor expectations.
At the launch of the NGX Net-Zero Programme, the Group Chairman of NGX Group, Dr. Umaru Kwairanga, said Africa’s capital markets must play a central role in advancing climate action and sustainable growth, adding that the programme is intended to move companies from stated ambition to measurable outcomes.
Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of NGX Group, Mr. Temi Popoola, said climate risk has become a core factor in global valuation and capital allocation decisions, while a member of DEG’s Management Board, Monika Beck, said the partnership aligns with DEG’s strategy of mobilising private capital to accelerate climate action while delivering development impact.