TotalEnergies (40%, operator) and its Nigerian partner AMNI (60%) announced on September 23, 2026 a Final Investment Decision (FID) for the development of the Ima gas field, straddling licenses OML 112 and 117 offshore Nigeria. The field will be developed with a single platform linked by a 22-kilometer pipeline to the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) liquefaction plant, targeting production start-up in 2028 at a plateau of 350 million cubic feet per day (equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, boe/d), supplying about one-third of the gas needed for NLNG’s Train 7 expansion.
The Ima gas field sits in shallow waters close to Bonny Island in southeastern Nigeria, straddling the OML 112 and OML 117 licenses. TotalEnergies operates the project with a 40% interest, while Nigerian company AMNI holds the remaining 60%. Development consists of a single offshore platform connected via a 22-kilometer pipeline to NLNG, in which TotalEnergies itself holds a 15% shareholding. The FID follows the Ubeta gas development, sanctioned in 2024 and expected to start up in 2027, marking the second major milestone in TotalEnergies’ integrated gas strategy in Nigeria.
According to reporting from Oil & Gas Journal and other outlets, the development cost is estimated at approximately $1.108 billion. However, some Nigerian outlets, including Vanguard, have reported the FID value at roughly $600 million, indicating a discrepancy in the reported development cost across sources. Production start-up is targeted for 2028, with a plateau output of 350 million cubic feet per day (over 60,000 boe/d), representing about one-third of the gas volume required for NLNG’s Train 7 expansion, which will raise liquefaction capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to 30 Mtpa. Roughly 60% of the workforce during the development phase is expected to be sourced from host communities, and all key contractors are local Nigerian companies, reflecting a strong local-content component. The project also incorporates shore-based electric power supply, no routine flaring, and permanent methane detection and monitoring as part of a low-cost, low-emissions design.
The FID aligns with incentives introduced by the Nigerian government to encourage development of non-associated gas resources, and follows the Ubeta project as further evidence of TotalEnergies’ ability to commercialize Nigerian gas resources at low cost. As an upstream project directly tied to the NLNG Train 7 expansion, Ima also reinforces Nigeria’s competitiveness as an LNG exporter.
The decision demonstrates that major international energy companies continue to commit capital to Nigerian gas development despite recent years of resource-nationalization debates and investment concerns in the country. Consecutive FIDs following Ubeta can be read as a signal of restored investor confidence in Nigeria’s gas sector, and a project structure with supply commitments to downstream LNG facilities already in place tends to support financing stability. At the same time, the fact that estimated development costs range from roughly $600 million to over $1.1 billion across different reports suggests that early-stage project cost disclosures can vary depending on the source, warranting confirmation through subsequent official figures. The case also reaffirms that local-content requirements and low-emissions design standards are becoming standard features of oil and gas development projects across Africa.
First, whether TotalEnergies and AMNI issue an official confirmed development-cost figure, and the timing of the resulting financing structure, will be worth monitoring. Second, the selection of an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contractor for the platform and pipeline, along with the construction schedule, will be key to meeting the 2028 production target. Third, the degree of synchronization between the NLNG Train 7 expansion timeline and Ima’s gas supply schedule will determine when expanded LNG volumes actually materialize. Fourth, the practical implementation of low-emissions design elements, including shore power supply and continuous methane monitoring, will merit continued tracking.