53 Years Later, Nigeria’s Ima Gas Finally Gets the Green Light

53 Years Later, Nigeria’s Ima Gas Finally Gets the Green Light

TotalEnergies and AMNI take Final Investment Decision on a long-dormant offshore resource that could become a major feedgas source for Nigeria LNG Train 7

Exclusive to Ekocity | Energy & Business Desk

For more than half a century, the Ima gas field existed as one of Nigeria’s most striking examples of a resource discovered long before the country was ready to develop it. Discovered in 1973, the offshore field in OMLs 112 and 117, near Bonny Island in Rivers State, remained undeveloped through successive governments, oil-price cycles and changes in Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

That long wait is now ending. TotalEnergies and Nigerian independent producer AMNI International have taken the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Ima Gas Development, opening the way for construction and eventual production. TotalEnergies will operate the project with a 40 per cent interest, while AMNI holds 60 per cent.

The headline investment figure has been widely reported as $800 million. However, AMNI’s project announcement puts the estimated development cost at approximately $1.108 billion, while TotalEnergies has described its own investment in the project as more than $600 million. The distinction is important when assessing the project’s overall capital structure.

The Gas Nigeria Has Been Waiting For

The Ima development is expected to reach a production plateau of approximately 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, with first gas targeted for 2028. A 22-kilometre pipeline will connect the offshore development to Nigeria LNG. Its strategic importance extends beyond the field itself.

TotalEnergies says Ima could supply approximately one-third of the gas required for Nigeria LNG’s Train 7 expansion, which is designed to increase NLNG’s liquefaction capacity from 22 million tonnes per year to 30 million tonnes per year.

That makes Ima part of a much larger Nigerian gas story. For a country with enormous gas reserves but a long history of undeveloped resources, the challenge has never been simply finding gas. It has been turning discoveries into producing assets.

An Indigenous Company At The Centre

The project also highlights the growing role of Nigerian independent producers. AMNI’s 60 per cent stake means the company is not merely participating as a local partner; it is the majority-interest holder in a development involving a major international energy company.

The project is also expected to have substantial Nigerian participation, with TotalEnergies saying key contractors are local companies and approximately 60 per cent of the workforce during development is expected to come from host communities.

Why Ima Matters Now

Nigeria is trying to build a gas economy capable of supplying electricity, industry, fertiliser production and LNG exports. Ima arrives at an important moment. If delivered on schedule, the project will provide additional feedgas for Nigeria LNG while creating another stream of investment, contracting activity and employment in the Niger Delta.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the FID as evidence that reforms aimed at making Nigeria’s petroleum sector more attractive to investors are beginning to unlock previously stranded resources. But the real test begins after the ceremony.

Nigeria has seen too many discoveries celebrated and too few converted quickly into production. Ima now has a deadline: 2028. After waiting 53 years, the gas beneath the Niger Delta finally has a development plan. The question is whether Nigeria can now prove that a discovery does not have to wait another generation before becoming an economic asset.

Ekocity Energy & Business Desk

Fawumi Kayode Abiodun
Political Analyst | CEO, Ekocity Media | Publisher, Ekocity Magazine and The Capitol Post