TotalEnergies and its Nigerian partner AMNI have taken a final investment decision on an $800 million project to develop the Ima offshore gas field, more than five decades after the resource was discovered.
The Ima field is located in shallow waters across the OML 112 and OML 117 licences near Bonny Island. TotalEnergies will operate the project with a 40% interest, while AMNI will hold the remaining 60%.
The development will centre on a single offshore platform connected to the Nigeria LNG facility by a 22-kilometre pipeline. Production is expected to begin in 2028 and reach a plateau of about 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Gas from Ima is expected to provide about one-third of the additional gas required for Nigeria LNG’s Train 7 expansion. The expansion is designed to increase the liquefaction plant’s capacity from 22 million tonnes per year to 30 million tonnes per year.
The field was discovered in 1973 but remained undeveloped for more than 50 years. The investment decision now clears the way for the long-delayed resource to be brought into production.
TotalEnergies describes Ima as a low-cost, low-emissions development. The project will use electricity supplied from shore, will not include routine gas flaring and will have permanent methane detection and monitoring systems.
The project will also involve Nigerian companies and workers. TotalEnergies said all key contractors will be Nigerian companies, while around 60% of the workforce during the development phase is expected to come from host communities.
For Nigeria, the project adds a new source of gas to support LNG production as the government seeks to develop previously untapped resources and attract investment into the gas sector.
President Bola Tinubu welcomed the $800 million investment, describing it as a step toward expanding gas production, exports and job creation.
The Ima development follows TotalEnergies’ broader gas strategy in Nigeria, including the Ubeta project sanctioned in 2024 and expected to start production in 2027.
