After nearly fifty years of inactivity, the Ima gas field located off Bonny Island in Nigeria is set to be developed with an $800 million investment. TotalEnergies SE and Nigerian independent AMNI International Petroleum Development Co. have made a final investment decision to bring the field into production. The project, which straddles two licenses, OML 112 and OML 117, will be developed as a single offshore platform tied back by a 22-kilometre pipeline to the Nigeria LNG terminal.
The Ima gas field is expected to produce 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to over 60,000 barrels of oil per day. First gas is targeted for 2028. The project will supply around a third of the feed gas for Train 7, the expansion project that will increase Nigeria LNG's liquefaction capacity to 30 million tons annually from 22 million tons. TotalEnergies operates the project with a 40 percent interest, while AMNI holds the remaining 60 percent.
The development of the Ima gas field is attributed to a shift in Nigeria's fiscal architecture, which has made it economically viable to develop non-associated gas projects. The Nigerian government introduced fiscal incentives specifically targeted at non-associated gas projects, changing the economics of fields that had sat idle since their discovery roughly five decades ago. TotalEnergies has pointed to this policy shift as the reason behind its recent run of gas sanctions in the country.
The Ima project is not TotalEnergies' first in Nigeria to benefit from the new fiscal incentives. It follows the Ubeta project, which was sanctioned in 2024 and is due onstream next year. According to Nicolas Terraz, president of Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies, the company is pleased to announce the final investment decision for the Ima gas project, marking a new milestone in the deployment of its integrated gas strategy in Nigeria.
TotalEnergies is framing the Ima project as a model for its future offshore developments in Nigeria. The platform design has been simplified, and it will draw electric power from shore, reducing emissions from the facility. The project will have no routine flaring and will carry continuous methane detection and monitoring. Additionally, all major contracting packages on Ima have gone to local companies, and the partners expect about 60 percent of the development-phase workforce to come from communities near the field.
The development of the Ima gas field is significant for Nigeria's growing appetite for gas, particularly with the completion of Train 7, which will rank among the largest liquefaction complexes in the world. Experts see Ima as a test case for whether a policy lever can pull stranded discoveries out of the ground. If the incentive framework continues to work, Nigeria's offshore gas fields may finally be developed.
The Ima project's sanctioning comes amid a broader scramble to feed Bonny Island's growing appetite for gas. With the completion of Train 7, Nigeria LNG will require a steady pipeline of new feed-gas projects. The success of the Ima project could pave the way for the development of other stranded gas fields in Nigeria, providing a significant boost to the country's energy sector.
Key points
- The Ima gas field development is expected to produce 350 million cubic feet of gas per day.
- The project is a result of a shift in Nigeria's fiscal architecture, making non-associated gas projects economically viable.
- The development of the Ima gas field will contribute significantly to Nigeria LNG's gas supply and create lasting value for its partners and for Nigeria.
