It was a sunny Wednesday in early June. Yet the persistent buzzing from the Heirs Energies gas plant in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State and the intense heat radiating from its flare stack shrouded the atmosphere in a haze of soot and smoke. A towering yellow flame burned continuously, illuminating the area even in broad daylight.
Dozens of motor mechanics and spare-parts dealers, including Mrs Nkiru and her husband, whose shops are located only a few metres from the facility, have grown accustomed to the constant noise and heat.
Gas flares are a common sight across Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta. For residents of host communities, however, they represent more than a visual spectacle; they are a daily source of environmental pollution, health concerns and economic hardship.
This reality has once again placed Nigeria among the world’s largest gas-flaring nations. According to the World Bank’s latest Global Gas Flaring Tracker Report, the country remained among the top gas-flaring countries in 2025 as global flare volumes rose to their highest level in six years.
The report, released this week, ranked Nigeria among the top nine gas-flaring countries globally alongside Russia, Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, Mexico, Libya, Algeria and the United States.
According to the report, these nine countries accounted for 83 per cent of all gas flared worldwide in 2025, despite contributing only 46 per cent of global oil production.
Gas flaring is the burning of natural gas associated with crude oil extraction, often due to inadequate infrastructure for capturing, processing or transporting the gas.
Environmentalists have long criticised the practice because it wastes valuable energy resources and contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions.
The World Bank reported that global flare volumes rose to 167 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2025, the highest level recorded since 2019. The figure represents a 16 per cent increase over 2012 and about 23 bcm over the period.
The report also noted that almost half of the recent increase in global gas flaring occurred in 2025 alone, with an additional 10 bcm flared during the year.
Nigeria
Data contained in the report showed that Nigeria flared approximately nine bcm of gas in 2025, placing the country seventh among the world’s largest flaring nations.
While Nigeria’s flaring volume remained relatively stable compared with some of the larger producers, the country continued to rank among the largest contributors to global gas waste despite years of policy efforts to reduce the practice.
Russia retained its position as the world’s largest flaring country, with flare volumes rising by nine per cent to around 30 bcm. Iran followed closely with approximately 30 bcm, while Iraq recorded nearly 24 bcm.
Venezuela and Mexico occupied the fourth and fifth positions, respectively, while Libya, Nigeria, Algeria, and the United States completed the top nine.
The report highlighted that increases in flaring were particularly pronounced in Russia, Mexico and Iran, which together accounted for more than six bcm of the additional gas flared globally in 2025.
Insert screenshot of the graphical representation of gas flare data from the report
Environmental implications
The World Bank warned that rising gas flaring is undermining global climate goals and represents a significant waste of resources at a time when many countries face energy shortages.
According to the report, the volume of associated gas wasted through flaring in 2025 was comparable to Africa’s entire annual gas consumption.
“Globally, more gas is flared than passes through the Strait of Hormuz,” the report noted, underscoring the scale of the lost resource.
The institution added that several countries continue to import substantial quantities of natural gas while simultaneously flaring large volumes of associated gas that could be captured and utilised for domestic energy needs.
The report identified countries such as Egypt, India and Iraq as examples where flare-gas recovery could strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on imports.
Climate and methane concerns
Beyond carbon dioxide emissions, the World Bank emphasised the climate impact of methane from flaring operations.
It is estimated that gas flaring globally in 2025 resulted in approximately 429 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, including methane released through incomplete combustion and venting.
Methane is regarded as one of the most potent greenhouse gases and has a significantly higher warming effect than carbon dioxide over a shorter period.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation published last year found that several oil-producing communities, including those in Ogoniland, continue to grapple with widespread hydrocarbon pollution. Residents told reporters that recurring oil spills had contaminated farmlands and waterways, undermining farming and fishing livelihoods.
Another PREMIUM TIMES investigation published early this month documented how persistent toxic gas leaks from an oil field in Bille, Rivers State, are threatening lives and livelihoods in surrounding communities.
The report noted that flaring intensity—the amount of associated gas flared per barrel of oil produced—increased by nearly 3% globally in 2025, indicating that progress in reducing emissions from oil production remains uneven.
Nigeria’s efforts
Nigeria has for decades sought to eliminate routine gas flaring through a combination of regulatory measures, penalties and investment incentives.
The federal government has introduced initiatives such as the Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP), designed to attract private-sector investment into flare-gas capture projects and convert previously wasted gas into commercially useful products.
Launched in 2016 and administered by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), it auctions previously flared gas to third-party investors to harness, process, and commercialise, with the ultimate target of achieving zero routine gas flaring by 2035.
The country has also committed to international efforts to end routine gas flaring and reduce methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, as partly enshrined in its Nationally Determined Contribution Documents (NDCs) submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
However, infrastructure deficits, financing challenges, operational constraints, weak enforcement and delays in gas gathering projects have continued to hamper progress.
Industry experts have argued that significantly reducing flaring will require sustained investment in gas processing facilities, pipelines, power generation projects and domestic gas utilisation schemes.
Growing urgency
The World Bank said the latest figures highlight the urgent need for stronger action by major oil-producing countries to curb routine flaring and capture associated gas.
With global demand for cleaner energy increasing and governments seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report stressed that reducing gas flaring remains one of the fastest and most cost-effective measures available to improve environmental performance while boosting energy security.
For Nigeria, the findings reinforce the challenge of balancing rising oil production ambitions with commitments to climate action and efficient utilisation of the country’s vast natural gas resources.