By Stella Odueme
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and TotalEnergies have renewed their partnership to deploy the Airborne Ultralight Spectrometer for Environmental Applications (AUSEA) technology across NNPC’s upstream operations for an additional 24 months, reinforcing efforts to reduce methane emissions and support Nigeria’s decarbonisation goals.
According to the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Limited, Andy Odeh, in a statement on Wednesday, the agreement was signed on Wednesday at the NNPC Towers in Abuja by NNPC Ltd’s Executive Vice President, Upstream, Mr. Udy Ntia, and the Country Chair and Managing Director of TotalEnergies in Nigeria, Mr. Matthieu Bouyer.
The renewed collaboration follows an initial agreement signed in 2023 for the adoption of the AUSEA technology, a drone-based emissions monitoring system designed to detect, measure, and help reduce methane and carbon emissions from oil and gas operations.
The extension is expected to strengthen NNPC Ltd’s commitment to reducing gas flaring and achieving its environmental obligations under the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 framework, and its ambition to attain near-zero methane emissions by 2030.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Ntia described the agreement as a significant milestone in NNPC Ltd’s sustainability journey.
“Today’s signing represents a practical step in NNPC Limited’s journey to build a credible, transparent and action-oriented decarbonisation programme,” he said.
“Through the AUSEA initiative, we are strengthening our ability to detect, quantify and prioritise methane abatement opportunities using advanced measurement technology.”
He expressed satisfaction with the results recorded during the first phase of the technology deployment and advocated for its expansion across additional assets within the company’s operations.
Ntia also emphasized the need for institutionalised progress reporting to ensure compliance with environmental standards and called for discussions around technology transfer to further strengthen local capacity.
On his part, TotalEnergies Senior Vice President for Africa, Mr. Mike Sangster, commended the longstanding cooperation between both companies and reaffirmed TotalEnergies’ commitment to supporting emissions reduction initiatives in Nigeria.
Sangster noted that TotalEnergies became the first oil-producing company in Nigeria to eliminate routine gas flaring across all its operated assets, attributing part of that achievement to the deployment of the AUSEA technology.
“The AUSEA technology has played a key role in helping us identify and address methane emissions. We are pleased to continue working with NNPC Ltd as we advance toward our target of achieving near-zero methane emissions by 2030,” he said.
Developed by TotalEnergies in partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the University of Reims, AUSEA is a state-of-the-art drone-based system capable of detecting and quantifying greenhouse gas emissions with high precision.
The technology helps operators identify previously unaccounted emission sources, improve the accuracy of emissions reporting, evaluate operational systems, implement corrective actions, and estimate flare combustion efficiency.
Industry experts say the expanded deployment of AUSEA could enhance transparency in emissions monitoring within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector while supporting broader efforts to reduce the environmental impact of hydrocarbon production.
The renewed partnership underscores both companies’ commitment to advancing sustainable energy practices and supporting global climate objectives through the adoption of innovative technologies.
