NUPRC rates 13 wells high risk near Bille gas seepage

Daniel Okafor

NUPRC has screened 28 oil and gas wells around reported gas-seepage locations in Bille Community, Degema Local Government Area, Rivers State, rating three very high risk, 10 high risk and 15 medium to low as investigators seek the source of the escaping gas.

Eniola Akinkuotu, NUPRC’s Head of Media and Corporate Communications, disclosed the findings Friday. Joseph Ogunsola, the commission’s Director of Subsurface Development, presented them at the 44th Annual International Conference and Exhibition of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists in Abuja.

Azibamikiomam John-Adumo, the commission’s Senior Manager for Onshore Frontier Development Drilling, represented Ogunsola. His presentation, “Unravelling Gas Seepage and Bubbling in Nigeria: The Integrated Study Approach Towards Source Attribution,” set out the screening results.

What does the 28-well screening show?

NUPRC screened wells according to their proximity to the seepage points and the reservoirs encountered during drilling. Investigators physically visited 14 of the 28 wells, while three others were inaccessible because they were submerged.

Field teams saw gas hissing from some wells. Other facilities showed corrosion or vandalism, adding to safety concerns for installations near the reported emissions.

One well was originally drilled for crude oil but shut down after operators found gas instead. It sits approximately 2.5 kilometres from a seepage location, and investigators are testing whether the escaping gas came from that well or another nearby installation.

More broadly, the seepage points sit 2.5 to 3 kilometres from other wells. Ogunsola described the area as highly explored and hydrocarbon-charged, conditions that leave investigators with several possible migration pathways to examine.

In plain terms, 13 of the 28 screened wells fall into the commission’s two highest-risk categories.

How will NUPRC identify the gas source?

NUPRC has constituted a technical team to determine what is happening beneath the affected locations. The team’s field assessment has now moved into an independent scientific fingerprinting exercise that will establish the origin and composition of the gas.

The commission is using Gas Chromatography-Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry and compositional field analysis. These tests compare the gas at the seepage sites with samples from nearby wells and geological formations.

Ogunsola expects results in the fourth quarter of 2026. He said the investigation reached the independent fingerprinting campaign within 12 months of the first reported bubbling incident in October 2025.

The laboratory findings will decide whether the commission can trace the gas to a particular well or whether underground migration through a natural geological source has complicated the response.

Could the findings force an evacuation?

Residents of Bille have reported gas bubbling in water bodies, wells, swamps and other locations. Those reports have raised fears of drinking-water contamination, fire outbreaks and hazards to people whose livelihoods depend on fishing and other water-related activities.

If the investigation identifies a natural geological phenomenon as the source, controlling underground gas migration could become more difficult. NUPRC said residents might then have to be evacuated because tracing the migration pathways and designing suitable interventions would pose additional challenges.

A natural source would therefore raise operational and safety questions at the same time as the commission considers whether nearby residents can remain in the community.

In plain terms, a natural source could make containment harder and keep evacuation on the table.

What support has reached Bille?

In July, a Federal Government delegation led by Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas) Ekperikpe Ekpo visited Bille and promised humanitarian assistance, including potable water, medical outreach and firefighting equipment.

During the visit, NUPRC Chief Executive Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan said: “Our assessment indicates that the first aquifer has been contaminated, and while we work towards a sustainable long-term solution, we will provide potable water as quickly as possible.”

Ogunsola said NUPRC and industry operators have also mobilized food supplies, medical outreach, potable water, fire vans and safety kits for affected residents while the technical investigation continues.

NUPRC has reiterated its commitment to a coordinated investigation that establishes the seepage’s source and sets the appropriate response. The decisive next milestone is the fourth-quarter 2026 fingerprinting result, which will guide well-control measures and determine whether the commission must consider evacuation.