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In a fresh push to position the country as a major global gas supply hub, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) has unveiled an ambitious plan to more than double Nigeria’s gas resource potential while also increasing national production.
Under the strategy, NNPC is seeking to move Nigeria from its current proven gas reserves of more than 215 trillion cubic feet (tcf) to over 600 tcf, including raising national gas production to 10 billion standard cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by 2027 and 12 bcf/d by 2030.
The plan was disclosed by NNPC’s Executive Vice President, Gas, Power snd New Energy, Mr. Olalekan Ogunleye, at the 2026 Gas Technology & Exhibition Conference (GASTECH) in Bangkok, Thailand.
Ogunleye said the scale-up would be driven by a commercial approach to gas development and monetisation, with the company deploying its Gas Master Plan (GMP) as a “gap-to-potential” framework for unlocking Nigeria’s vast gas resources.
“Gas development and monetisation from Nigeria’s standpoint is a purely commercial play. NNPC Ltd. is implementing a Gas Master Plan engineered as a gap-to-potential tool to move Nigeria from a 215tcf reserves position to above 600tcf,” he said.
The new ambition represents a significant shift from treating Nigeria’s vast gas endowment largely as an untapped resource to actively building the production, infrastructure and investment ecosystem required to convert those reserves into both domestic energy and export earnings.
Speaking on a panel titled “The New LNG Order: Leadership Strategies for Energy Security and Growth,” Ogunleye said Nigeria was seeking to exploit the changing global energy landscape, including geopolitical disruptions and shifting patterns of supply and demand.
He said the country’s strategy would be anchored on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Decade of Gas Framework and the Gas Master Plan, with stronger coordination across the gas value chain.
According to him, Nigeria’s domestic gas market and export ambitions should not be viewed as competing priorities.
Rather, the country would pursue a dual-track strategy under which LNG exports generate foreign exchange while increased domestic gas utilisation supports industrialisation, job creation and energy security.
The strategy comes as global gas markets continue to be reshaped by geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions and growing competition for reliable LNG supplies.
Ogunleye said Nigeria was already an established LNG supplier, with the Nigeria LNG facility’s Trains 1-6 producing about 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) and having exported more than 6,000 LNG cargoes since 1999.
He added that Train 7, currently under development, was expected to be completed in 2027, further strengthening Nigeria’s position in the international LNG market.
Beyond existing LNG capacity, however, Ogunleye stressed that Nigeria’s geographical position gives it an additional advantage, with access to both the Atlantic Basin and Asian markets.
He said this strategic location, combined with Nigeria’s resource base and renewed policy focus on gas development, could make the country an increasingly important supplier to global markets.
NNPC also sought to reassure investors that the policy environment for new LNG projects had become more attractive, pointing to the legal and regulatory framework established under the PIA and fiscal incentives designed to de-risk investments.
“With continued efforts towards stable security, competitive gas pricing and assured gas supply, there is no better time for investors and financiers to confidently participate in the development of Nigeria’s LNG projects,” Ogunleye said.
