Olalekan Ogunleye, Executive Vice President of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, has highlighted emerging commercial opportunities for Nigeria as the ongoing Middle East conflict drives higher demand for the country’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
Speaking at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Ogunleye noted that Nigeria’s strategic location near key consuming nations, combined with its substantial gas reserves, makes it an attractive supplier.
Nigeria LNG (NLNG), where NNPC is the major shareholder, currently exports up to 22 million metric tons per year and is constructing a seventh production train, expected to be operational by 2027. Ogunleye emphasized Nigeria’s proximity to Europe, the Atlantic Basin, and Asia as a competitive advantage.
He also indicated that demand for natural gas has remained resilient despite global geopolitical tensions and announced that NNPC is exploring the addition of two new LNG trains. Plans are also underway for a 12 million metric tons per annum LNG project, aligned with gas‑based industrial hubs to leverage over 200 trillion cubic feet of domestic reserves.
Ogunleye’s remarks reflect wider trends in the energy market, as buyers increasingly seek to diversify their supply sources in response to disruptions caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
