PRESIDENT TINUBU COMMENDS $800M IMA GAS FID

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed the $800 million Final Investment Decision (FID) by AMNI International and TotalEnergies to develop the long-delayed Ima Gas Project, describing it as a major step towards unlocking Nigeria’s gas resources for industrialisation, job creation and economic growth.  

The Ima gas field is located offshore across OMLs 112 and 117, near Bonny Island in Rivers State. The resource was discovered in 1973 but remained undeveloped for more than five decades. The project is now expected to move into development, with first gas targeted for 2028.  

TotalEnergies, which operates the project with a 40 per cent interest, said the field is expected to reach a production plateau of about 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (MMscf/d). AMNI International holds the remaining 60 per cent stake.  

The development will involve a single offshore platform connected through a 22-kilometre pipeline to Nigeria LNG. Gas from Ima is expected to supply approximately one-third of the feed gas required for NLNG’s Train 7 expansion.  

NLNG’s Train 7 expansion is designed to increase the company’s liquefaction capacity from about 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 million tonnes per annum, strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to produce and export LNG.  

President Tinubu said the FID demonstrates the importance of creating a competitive, predictable and enabling investment environment for the oil and gas industry.

The Presidency said reforms introduced since 2024 were aimed at improving fiscal competitiveness, reducing project costs and shortening contracting timelines, with the broader objective of attracting investment into previously undeveloped oil and gas resources.  

The Ima FID is the fourth major gas project to reach this stage since Tinubu assumed office, following the Iseni, Ubeta and HI gas projects, according to the Presidency.  

The project also highlights the role of indigenous companies in Nigeria’s upstream sector. AMNI International, a Nigerian-owned exploration and production company, is the majority partner in the development.

The Presidency said Nigerian financial institutions arranged 77 per cent of the project’s financing, while about 60 per cent of the workforce is expected to come from host communities, including communities in Rivers State.  

TotalEnergies also described Ima as a low-cost, low-emissions development, featuring electricity supplied from shore, no routine flaring and permanent methane monitoring.  

The Federal Government expects the project to contribute to a wider strategy of putting Nigeria’s large gas reserves to productive use. Beyond LNG exports, increased gas availability can support power generation, fertiliser and petrochemical production, industrial activity and other domestic uses.  

With first production targeted for 2028, the development represents the transition of the Ima discovery from a resource identified more than 50 years ago into an active investment project, while strengthening the gas supply chain supporting Nigeria LNG and the country’s broader energy industry.