Tinubu’s Gas push will unlock stranded reserves — Rone

The Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of UTM FLNG, Julius Rone, has commended President Bola Tinubu for what he described as the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to developing Nigeria’s abundant natural gas resources.

Rone spoke on the sidelines of the ongoing 54th GasTech conference at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Thailand.

He said the administration’s renewed focus on gas development could unlock significant value from Nigeria’s vast but largely underutilised gas reserves.

According to him, greater utilisation of natural gas is strategic for Nigeria, given the country’s abundant reserves and growing global demand for cleaner energy sources.

“We are focusing on gas development because we realised that gas is a transition fuel and Nigeria has gas in abundance,” he said.

Rone said the Tinubu administration had introduced measures aimed at encouraging investment in the gas sector, particularly efforts to unlock stranded offshore gas resources that had remained undeveloped and unmonetised for years.

He explained that Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) technology offered an opportunity to monetise stranded and previously flared gas, noting that the technology had been successfully deployed in different parts of the world.

“The floating LNG technology has been proven and has worked in several locations around the world. It can be used to monetise gas that has been wasted through flaring, convert it into useful energy and create value from it,” he said.

The GasTech conference, which has attracted about 8,000 delegates from 150 countries, brings together policymakers, investors, bankers, energy industry executives, innovators and other stakeholders to discuss developments in the global gas and energy industry.

Discussions at the conference include the application of artificial intelligence in the energy sector and low-carbon solutions.

Rone, who is among the recipients of the 2026 Megastar Man of the Decade Award, is also expected to be honoured at the ceremony themed, “The Road to 2027: Citizens, Stakeholders, and the Democracy We Choose.”