TotalEnergies, AMNI unlock $800 million to develop idle Ima gas field after 50-year wait

TotalEnergies SE and Nigerian independent AMNI International Petroleum Development Co. have approved an $800 million investment to develop the Ima gas field offshore Nigeria, ending a five-decade dormancy for one of the country’s long-stranded offshore gas discoveries.

The partners took the Final Investment Decision on the project, which straddles the OML 112 and OML 117 blocks in shallow waters near Bonny Island, according to a statement. TotalEnergies holds 40 percent of the project and operates it, while AMNI holds the remaining 60 percent.

The field will be developed using a single offshore platform linked by a 22-kilometre pipeline to the Nigeria LNG terminal, in which TotalEnergies holds a 15 percent stake.

First production is targeted for 2028, with output expected to reach a plateau of 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil per day.

Once online, Ima is expected to supply roughly a third of the feed gas needed for Nigeria LNG’s Train 7 expansion, a project that will lift the plant’s liquefaction capacity to 30 million tons a year from 22 million tons.

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The Ima field is among a cluster of offshore Nigerian gas discoveries that sat undeveloped for years as operators prioritised oil production and LNG developers favoured associated gas over standalone non-associated fields.

That calculus shifted after Nigeria introduced fiscal incentives aimed specifically at unlocking non-associated gas projects, making fields like Ima commercially viable for the first time since their discovery roughly 50 years ago.

TotalEnergies has cited those incentives as central to a string of recent gas sanctions in the country. The Ima approval follows the Ubeta gas project, which TotalEnergies sanctioned in 2024 and which is due to start production next year.

“We are very pleased to announce the FID for the Ima gas project, marking a new milestone in the deployment of our integrated gas strategy in Nigeria,” said Nicolas Terraz, President of Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies.

He added, “After the Ubeta project sanctioned in 2024 and expected to start up next year, Ima demonstrates again our ability to unlock new low-cost and low-emissions gas resources, following the incentives introduced by the Nigerian Government for non-associated gas developments.”

“This new project will contribute significantly to Nigeria LNG gas supply and create lasting value for its partners and for Nigeria,” Terraz said.

The company is positioning Ima as a template for lower-carbon offshore developments, with a simplified platform design, electric power sourced from shore rather than gas turbines, no routine flaring, and continuous methane detection and monitoring built into the facility.

The project carries heavy Nigerian-content requirements, with all major contracting packages awarded to local companies, the partners said. TotalEnergies and AMNI expect roughly 60 percent of the project’s workforce during the development phase to be drawn from communities near the field.

The Ima sanction adds to a wave of renewed investment in Nigeria’s upstream gas sector, as international and indigenous players race to feed expanding LNG capacity at Bonny Island.

Once complete, Nigeria LNG’s Train 7 project will make the facility one of the world’s largest liquefaction complexes, intensifying the need for new feed-gas sources such as Ima and Ubeta.