Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has warned that persistently high global gas prices are forcing many developing countries to abandon cleaner fuels and return to coal, threatening efforts to combat climate change and widening the global energy gap.

NLNG’s Managing Director and CEO, Philip Mshelbila, raised the alarm while speaking at the World LNG Summit & Awards in Istanbul, Turkey, during a panel titled “Energy Expansion in a Challenging Global Trade Environment.”

He explained that the world is entering a period of growing geopolitical tensions, fragmented trade, and shifting contracting patterns, which could destabilize energy supplies—particularly in emerging markets struggling with affordability.

Mshelbila stressed that unless key challenges in LNG supply, pricing, financing, and decarbonisation are addressed, the global energy transition risks stalling.

Sophia Horsfall, NLNG’s General Manager of External Relations & Sustainable Development, reinforced the company’s concern, emphasizing the urgent need for affordable, cleaner fuels in developing nations.