TotalEnergies and AMNI Approve $800 Million Ima Offshore Gas Field Development in Nigeria

en.Wedoany.com Reported - TotalEnergies and Nigeria's AMNI International have made a final investment decision (FID) on the Ima offshore gas project in Nigeria, with an investment of approximately $800 million. The Ima gas field straddles Nigeria's OML 112 and OML 117 blocks, with AMNI holding a 60% interest and TotalEnergies holding a 40% interest and serving as project operator. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company reconfirmed the project's investment scale and development arrangements on September 25.

The Ima gas field is located in shallow waters near Bonny Island. The development plan includes building a production platform and connecting it to the Nigeria LNG liquefied natural gas facility via a 22-kilometer gas pipeline. TotalEnergies disclosed that the project is scheduled to start production in 2028, with plateau gas production expected to reach 350 million cubic feet per day, equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The project adopts a simplified platform design, powered from shore, with no routine flaring, and is equipped with permanent methane detection and monitoring systems.

The natural gas produced by the project will serve as feed gas for the Nigeria LNG liquefaction plant, with approximately one-third to be used for the ongoing Train 7 expansion project. Once Train 7 is completed, Nigeria LNG's liquefaction capacity will increase from the current 22 million tonnes per year to 30 million tonnes per year. TotalEnergies currently holds a 15% interest in Nigeria LNG.

The Ima gas field was discovered in 1973 and had not entered development for a long time thereafter. The Nigerian Presidency disclosed that approximately 77% of the project's financing is arranged by Nigerian domestic financial institutions, and approximately 60% of the project workforce during development is planned to come from host communities including Bonny, Finima, and Andoni; the project's main contractors will also be Nigerian local companies.

According to concession data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, OML 112 covers an area of approximately 437.7 square kilometers, and OML 117 covers approximately 51.1 square kilometers. Both leases are held by AMNI International Petroleum and TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria, with interest proportions of 60% and 40% respectively, and the existing lease terms extend to September 2037.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company disclosed that Ima is one of the gas projects that have recently entered the final investment decision stage. Relevant policy measures introduced in 2024 provide fiscal incentives for non-associated gas projects and adjust contract approval and development cost arrangements. Following the completion of this FID, the project enters the engineering construction and subsequent pre-production preparation stage, with first production targeted for 2028.