In a major piece of good news for Nigeria, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell plc, has announced a final investment decision (FID) on Bonga North, a deep-water project off the coast of Nigeria.
According to a statement by Shell, Bonga North will be a subsea tie-back to the Shell-operated Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility which Shell operates with a 55% interest.
The Bonga North project, the statement added, involves drilling, completing, and starting up 16 wells (8 production and 8 water injection wells), modifications to the existing Bonga Main FPSO and the installation of new subsea hardware tied back to the FPSO.
The project will sustain oil and gas production at the Bonga facility. Bonga North currently has an estimated recoverable resource volume of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) and will reach a peak production of 110,000 barrels of oil a day, with first oil anticipated by the end of the decade.
“This is another significant investment, which will help us to maintain stable liquids production from our advantaged Upstream portfolio,” said Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director.
Shell stated that Bonga North will help ensure its leading Integrated Gas and Upstream business continues to drive cash generation into the next decade.
The Bonga Deepwater field at a glance
SNEPCo (55%) operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (20%), Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd. (12.5%), and TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (12.5%), on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
Bonga is a deep-water development located in OML 118, at water depths exceeding 1,000 meters. Production at the Bonga FPSO began in 2005, with a capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil per day. The project produced its one-billionth barrel of crude oil in 2023.
The Bonga North development holds estimated recoverable resource volumes of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). These volumes are currently classified as 2P (proven and probable) under the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Petroleum Resources Management System.
Nigeria government welcomes investment
Following the news of Shell’s FID on the Bonga North development, the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Mrs. Olu Arowolo Verheijen said the investment marks a new era of growth and opportunity for Nigeria.
“President Bola Tinubu welcomes this landmark development, Nigeria’s first deepwater oil project in over a decade”, Olu Arowolo Verheijen stated.
“This FID on Bonga North, and the FID on Ubeta earlier in 2024 both demonstrate the efficacy of the oil and gas reforms and directives championed by the President. These projects will trigger broader investments to revolutionise Nigeria’s power generation, transportation, and manufacturing sectors.
“In 2025 we anticipate further FIDs from international and domestic players. A new era of growth and opportunity for Nigeria”, the presidential adviser on Energy noted.