Nigeria’s daily natural gas production rose to 7.93 billion standard cubic feet per day (bcf/d) in May 2026, driven by increased domestic demand and the growing contribution of non-associated gas production, fresh industry data has shown. The data revealed that gas production rose to 7.93bcf/d in May 2026, representing a 0.63 per cent year-on-year increase from the 7.88bcf/d recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
A breakdown of May’s production data published on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission website on Monday showed that Associated Gas accounted for 3.96bcf/d, while Non-Associated Gas contributed 3.98bcf/d. This indicates that non-associated gas is increasingly carrying its own weight in the production mix and reflects the maturation of dedicated gas development initiatives.
On a month-on-month basis, gas production declined marginally by 0.12 per cent from 7.94bcf/d recorded in April. Over the past five months, gas production has maintained a positive trajectory, rising from 7.80bcf/d in January to 7.81bcf/d in February, 7.85bcf/d in March and 7.94bcf/d in April.
In terms of gas utilisation during the period, export sales declined from 4.13bcf/d to 3.07bcf/d, accounting for 40 per cent of total production. Meanwhile, sales to the domestic market increased from 2.03bcf/d to 2.18bcf/d, representing 26.6 per cent of total gas utilisation.
The increase in domestic sales reflects ongoing efforts to meet local supply obligations. As the power, industrial and gas-based manufacturing sectors continue to expand under the national gas agenda, the potential for further growth remains significant. The report showed that 2.11bcf/d, representing 26.5 per cent of total production, was allocated to own use, while 0.57bcf/d, or 6.9 per cent, was flared, underscoring the country’s commitment to ending routine gas flaring by 2030.
Year-to-date production remained firm at an average of 7.87Bscf/d, up from 7.82Bscf/d recorded in the first quarter (Q1), and increased further to 7.94Bscf/d across April and May 2026. Related News Tinubu urges judges to deliver swift, fair justice One year after 272 massacred, fear still rules Yelewata FG gets tough, begins trial of over 600 terrorism suspects Further analysis revealed that Nigeria utilised about 92 per cent of the natural gas produced in the first four months of 2026, according to the latest industry data, indicating steady progress in the country’s efforts to curb gas flaring and maximise the economic value of its vast gas reserves.
Analysis of the figures showed that a total of 947.78 billion standard cubic feet of gas was produced between January and April 2026. Of this volume, 872.69 billion standard cubic feet were channelled towards domestic supply, exports and field operations, while about 57.34 billion standard cubic feet were flared.
The data, which was marked as provisional pending quarterly reconciliation, showed that Nigeria produced 241.71 billion standard cubic feet of gas in January, comprising 118.72 billion standard cubic feet of Associated Gas and 122.99 billion standard cubic feet of Non-Associated Gas.
Out of the January production volume, 59.09 billion standard cubic feet were consumed as field use, 65.58 billion standard cubic feet were supplied to the domestic market, while 96.24 billion standard cubic feet were exported. Overall, 220.91 billion standard cubic feet, representing 91.4 per cent of total production, were utilised.
In February, total gas production stood at 218.70 billion standard cubic feet. The industry utilised 203.42 billion standard cubic feet, accounting for 93 per cent of output, while 14.09 billion standard cubic feet, representing 6.44 per cent, were flared. Similarly, total production rose to 243.28 billion standard cubic feet in March.