Ima Gas FID Affirms Nigeria’s Upstream Gas Sector Viability—Ojulari

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has described the $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ima Gas Project as a decisive vote of confidence in the country’s upstream gas sector and the reforms driving it.

Group chief executive officer, NNPC, Bashir Bayo Ojulari, said the FID “affirms the growing viability of Nigeria’s upstream gas sector” and underscores the impact of policy measures that have improved investment terms and reduced development costs.

The Ima Gas Project, located offshore in Oil Mining Leases (OMLs) 112 and 117, is being developed by AMNI International Petroleum Development Company Limited in partnership with TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited. At peak production, the field is expected to deliver about 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, providing critical feedgas to Nigeria LNG Limited in support of its Train 7 expansion at Bonny Island.

Train 7 is set to lift Nigeria LNG’s capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 Mtpa, with Ima expected to supply a significant share of the additional gas required for the expansion.

Ojulari said the project’s sanction was a direct outcome of the Presidential Directives of 2024, which introduced fiscal incentives for non-associated gas, streamlined contracting processes and lowered the cost base for gas developments. Ima is the fourth major gas project to reach FID under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, following Iseni, Ubeta and HI.

“This is a decisive vote of confidence in Nigeria’s gas sector and in the bold reforms that have created competitive terms and a predictable investment environment,” Ojulari said, in a statement by the company’s spokesman, Andy Odeh.

NNPC Ltd also commended the collaboration between AMNI, TotalEnergies and the Nigerian financial sector, describing the partnership model—indigenous operator, international technical partner and domestic capital—as a template for future gas developments.

The state oil company reaffirmed its commitment to working with government, regulators and industry partners to sustain investment momentum and deploy Nigeria’s gas resources for industrialisation, job creation and long-term prosperity.

The Ima field, discovered more than five decades ago, had remained undeveloped until the recent policy reforms helped unlock financing and commercial terms. Production is expected to commence in 2028, once infrastructure including an offshore platform and export pipeline are completed.