LAGOS, Sept 26 – TotalEnergies and Nigerian independent oil and gas producer AMNI International have reached a final investment decision on the development of the offshore Ima gas field, committing about $800 million to a project expected to strengthen Nigeria’s gas supply to the Nigeria LNG plant.
Located across Oil Mining Leases 112 and 117 in shallow waters near Bonny Island, the Ima project is expected to produce about 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day at peak, according to NNPC Ltd. TotalEnergies, however, has stated that the field is designed to reach a plateau of approximately 350 million cubic feet per day, with production scheduled to begin in 2028.
The field will be developed through a single offshore platform connected to Nigeria LNG by a 22-kilometre pipeline. Once operational, Ima is expected to provide roughly one-third of the gas required for the ongoing Train 7 expansion at Nigeria LNG.
Train 7 is designed to increase Nigeria LNG’s liquefaction capacity at Bonny Island from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum, strengthening the country’s capacity to convert domestic gas resources into LNG exports.
The Ima development also represents the commercialisation of a long-standing gas resource. The field was discovered in 1973 but remained undeveloped for more than five decades before the partners approved the investment.
TotalEnergies holds a 40% interest and operates the project, while AMNI owns the remaining 60%. TotalEnergies has described Ima as a low-cost, low-emissions development, with electricity supplied from shore, no routine flaring and permanent methane monitoring.
NNPC said the investment was enabled by the Nigerian government’s 2024 presidential directives on non-associated gas, which introduced fiscal incentives, streamlined contracting and reduced development costs. The state oil company said Ima is the fourth major gas project to reach FID under the reforms, following the Iseni, Ubeta and HI projects.
The project is also expected to increase Nigerian participation in the upstream value chain. TotalEnergies said key contractors are local companies and that around 60% of the project workforce is expected to come from host communities during development.
The FID comes as Nigeria seeks to accelerate investment in its gas resources and expand the role of gas in LNG exports, industrial activity and domestic energy supply. For Nigeria LNG, securing additional feedgas is particularly important as the Train 7 expansion moves toward higher production capacity.
NNPC described the Ima investment as a sign of growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s upstream gas sector, while TotalEnergies said the project demonstrates the potential to develop new low-cost gas resources under the country’s revised fiscal framework.
