TotalEnergies and its Nigerian partner AMNI have taken final investment decision on the Ima gas field, a shallow-water development designed to deliver 350 million cubic feet of gas per day — more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent — at plateau from 2028.

The French major will operate the project with a 40% interest; AMNI holds the remaining 60%. The field straddles offshore licences OML 112 and OML 117 in shallow water near Bonny Island, home of the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) complex on which the development's economics hinge.

A 22-km pipeline will tie Ima back to the NLNG plant, where TotalEnergies already holds a 15% stake in the liquefaction venture. Once on stream, Ima is expected to supply roughly one-third of the gas required for NLNG's Train 7 expansion, the program meant to lift liquefaction capacity from 22 million tonnes per annum to 30 mtpa.

Development configuration

TotalEnergies has opted for a single-platform design with power supplied from shore. The company said the scheme involves no flaring and will carry permanent methane detection and monitoring. It describes Ima as a low-cost, low-emissions development.

Local content features prominently in the sanction package. All key contractors are expected to be Nigerian companies, and around 60% of the development-phase workforce should come from communities hosting the project.

Second gas sanction in two years

The FID marks TotalEnergies' second Nigerian gas sanction since 2024, when it approved the Ubeta project — now expected to start up next year.

Nicolas Terraz, president of exploration and production at TotalEnergies, said: "We are very pleased to announce the FID for the Ima gas project, marking a new milestone in the deployment of our integrated gas strategy in Nigeria.

"After the Ubeta project sanctioned in 2024 and expected to start-up next year, Ima demonstrates again our ability to unlock new low-cost and low-emissions gas resources, following the incentives introduced by the Nigerian Government for non-associated gas developments.

"This new project will contribute significantly to Nigeria LNG gas supply and create lasting value for its partners and for Nigeria."

Nigeria in the portfolio

TotalEnergies has operated in Nigeria for more than 60 years and employs over 1,800 people across its business segments there. The company produced 188,000 boepd in Nigeria in 2025 and runs around 540 service stations in the country.

The Ima sanction follows a separate move by TotalEnergies to enter a partnership agreement with Global Infrastructure Partners, part of BlackRock, covering its interests in certain oil and gas infrastructure assets in Africa.

Watch item: first gas timing in 2028, and how quickly Ima's 350 MMcf/d feeds into Train 7's push toward 30 mtpa of liquefaction capacity at Bonny.