Abuja — The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), and Stakeholder Democracy Network,SDN, a United Kingdom-based non-governmental organisation, concluded arrangements to use satellite-based technology to identify hotspots of methane in Ogoniland and Niger Delta region.

DG NOSDRA, Chukwuemeka Woke, revealed this development on Wednesday in Abuja while receiving the Executive Director of SDN, Adam Heal.

He said methane is an important gas for climate-change and its impact is several times worse than carbon dioxide.

Woke said "If we can tackle methane, then we have a better chance of reaching our long-term climate goals."

Woke said the prototype Methane Tracker designed by SDN will vastly contribute to tracking methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

He assured NOSDRA clear mandate to ensure a clean and secure environment in the nation's petroleum industry with the support of the NGO.

While felicitating with SDN on the 20th anniversary of its operation in Nigeria, the DG assured the NGO of NOSDRA's willingness to support and enhance its works in the country.

Earlier in his address, Heal disclosed that the organization had been operating in Nigeria for the past 20years, providing monitoring and policy advisory work in Nigeria and economic diversification in the oil-bearing Niger Delta region.

He stated that NOSDRA had been a reliable partner with SDN for over a decade.

He said, "We have been working with other regulators like NOSDRA to cooperate with oil and gas companies to help respond to the emissions, fix the problem, and reduce the impact on the environment. So we are currently building a prototype satellite-based methane tracker."