TotalEnergies and NNPCL launch Ubeta Gas Project in Nigeria

TotalEnergies, operator of Nigeria’s onshore block OML 58 with a 40% interest, and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL), which holds the remaining 60%, have announced the final investment decision for the development of the Ubeta gas field.

Located around 80km north-west of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Block OML 58 already includes two producing fields: the Obagi oil field and the Ibewa gas and condensate field. The gas produced on this block is processed at the Obite plant and supplies the local Nigerian market as well as the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) liquefaction plant.

The new Ubeta gas condensate field, also located on block OML58, will be developed from a cluster of six new wells. These wells will be connected to the existing Obite facilities by an 11-kilometre underground pipeline. Gas production from Ubeta, scheduled to begin in 2027, is expected to reach a plateau of 300 million cubic feet per day, or around 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) including condensate. This gas will feed the NLNG liquefaction plant in Bonny, whose capacity is currently being expanded from 22 to 30 million tonnes per year, and in which TotalEnergies holds a 15% stake.

The Ubeta project is designed as a low-cost, low-emissions development, building on OML58’s existing gas processing facilities. Carbon intensity will be reduced through a 5MW solar power plant being constructed at the Obite site and the electrification of the drilling rig. TotalEnergies and NNPCL are working closely together to maximise the proportion of local content, with more than 90% of working hours carried out locally.

“Ubeta is the latest in a series of projects developed by TotalEnergies in Nigeria, most recently Ikike and Akpo West. I am pleased that we can launch this new gas project which has been made possible by the Government’s recent incentives for non-associated gas developments. Ubeta fits perfectly with our strategy of developing low-cost and low-emission projects, and will contribute to the Nigerian economy through higher NLNG exports”, said Mike Sangster, Senior Vice President Africa, Exploration & Production at TotalEnergies.