Dr. Mumuni Dagazau

The Executive Vice President, Downstream of Nigeria’s national oil corporation, the NNPC Limited, Dr. Mumuni Dagazau, on Wednesday, said decarbonisation of downstream operations must be practical, commercially viable and built into everyday management of assets and projects, as refiners and fuel suppliers worldwide work to cut emissions while maintaining reliable energy supply.

Dr. Dagazau asserted while co-chairing the Downstream Technical Session with Mr. Ashraf Abufaris, Head of Gas Treatment, Middle East and Central Asia, BASF, titled “Delivering practical pathways to decarbonise downstream operations” at the ongoing 2026 Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference ADIPEC.

The session featured presentations from OQ Alternative Energy, Mitsubishi Power, Kent, Petrojet and McDermott on refinery energy use, grid stability, routine flaring, carbon competitiveness and carbon considerations in project execution.

Summing up the presentations, Dr. Dagazau observed that they showed several complementary routes to decarbonisation, namely improved energy efficiency, reliable and progressively lower-carbon power, reduced routine flaring, carbon-informed investment decisions and the inclusion of carbon considerations in project execution.

He noted that decarbonisation should form part of how companies operate their assets, select investments, procure equipment and execute projects, and that progress should be assessed against clear targets that support commercial performance.

He observed that the task before the industry is to turn these ideas into action that improves efficiency, reduces emissions and strengthens the competitiveness of downstream operations.