Madar (Niamey) - Europe's Copernicus atmosphere monitoring service has detected from space a methane leak over the Agadem oil block in north-eastern Niger, at a rate above 40 tonnes an hour on every satellite pass, Agence Ecofin reported on Friday, October 16, 2026. Data released on Wednesday, October 14, show the leak has been active since late September and is linked to the blowout of the Goumeri W-8 well, operated by CNPC Niger Petroleum, a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation, the agency said.
Ecofin quoted Richard Engelen, deputy director of the Copernicus service, as saying the rate had never fallen below 40 tonnes an hour. By the agency's calculation, more than 17,000 tonnes of methane had escaped by October 13, eighteen days into the incident. Ecofin noted that the Petroleum Ministry's statement made no mention of gas emissions or of the volume of crude spilled, and that the Chinese operator had made no public comment.
On the ground, Petroleum Minister Hamadou Tinni and Environment Minister Colonel Abdoulaye Maizama visited the well on Wednesday, October 14, with the governor of Diffa and experts sent by Algeria's Sonatrach, ActuNiger reported. Initial assessments cited by the outlet showed the force of the eruption had eased and that plugging work by CNPC had sharply reduced the flow, though the situation "remains critical."
In a statement read on state television on the evening of Monday, October 12, the Petroleum Ministry said the well blew out on September 25, spraying crude and gas more than ten metres into the air, and described the incident as one of "exceptional gravity" that was not yet "fully under control." The platform it shares with wells W-3 and W-4 was badly damaged; two workers were hospitalised and no deaths were reported, and the ministry said initial findings ruled out "a criminal or terrorist" cause.
The government has opened an independent investigation, supported by Algerian expertise, to establish the causes and responsibilities, and says "all damages" will be covered under existing rules. The Agadem block, about 1,700 kilometres from Niamey, accounts for the bulk of Niger's oil output; Niamey signed new agreements with Chinese companies in May 2026 after months of tension.
