Nigeria's petroleum regulator has shortlisted 139 companies for the next stage of the country's gas flaring commercialisation programme, its chief executive said in a statement, part of plans to reduce carbon emissions.

In September, Nigeria's minister of state for petroleum resources said plans were at an advanced stage to commercialise gas burned from its oil fields to help cut 15 million tonnes of carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

Gbenga Komolafe, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission chief executive, said in a statement on Tuesday that out of the 300 companies that applied, 139 had been shortlisted to proceed to the next stage of the programme.

He did not say when the next phase would commence.

Africa's biggest economy, Nigeria, has been trying to harness gas belching from its oil fields so it can be exported or used to generate power but has been hobbled by lack of finance.

Reuters