French power large TotalEnergies has deployed an ultra-deepwater drillship to Nigeria’s Akpo oil and gasoline discipline, making ready to begin a brand new drilling marketing campaign that would increase exercise in one of many nation’s main offshore petroleum belongings.
The firm introduced on Thursday that the drillship, Noble Black Rhino, had arrived on the Akpo discipline forward of the marketing campaign, with drilling of a properly designated AFE-1X scheduled to start on 13 November.
According to an announcement printed on its Facebook page, the vessel crossed into Nigerian waters on 2 November after finishing a 738-nautical-mile journey from Côte d’Ivoire. It arrived on the discipline at 6 a.m. on 3 November.
TotalEnergies stated preparations have been underway to obtain operational readiness for the scheduled graduation of drilling, describing the vessel’s arrival as a major milestone for its deep offshore operations.
The improvement indicators continued funding in Nigeria’s deepwater petroleum sector, the place new drilling and discipline developments may strengthen manufacturing, generate extra authorities income and create alternatives for Nigerian companies.
However, the corporate has not disclosed the anticipated manufacturing from the deliberate properly, the estimated funding, the quantity of extra reserves being focused or the variety of Nigerian employees and contractors anticipated to profit from the marketing campaign.
What the drilling means for Nigeria
The Akpo discipline is situated in Petroleum Mining Lease 2 (PML 2), previously Oil Mining Lease 130 (OML 130), roughly 150 kilometres offshore Nigeria.
The discipline, which started manufacturing in March 2009, is operated by TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited, which holds a 24 per cent collaborating curiosity in the licence.
Other companions embrace China’s CNOOC, with 45 per cent; South Atlantic Petroleum Limited, with 15 per cent; and Prime 130, with 16 per cent. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited is the concessionaire of the production-sharing contract.
The former OML 130 was transformed into separate petroleum mining leases beneath the Petroleum Industry Act. Akpo turned PML 2, whereas Egina and Preowei turned PML 3 and PML 4, respectively.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) concession records establish Akpo as the sector related to PML 2.
The Akpo discipline is a serious producer of condensate and pure gasoline. Its improvement has contributed to Nigeria’s hydrocarbon manufacturing and gasoline provide, together with provides to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas amenities.
In February 2024, TotalEnergies announced the graduation of manufacturing from Akpo West, a improvement related to the present Akpo floating manufacturing, storage and offloading facility via subsea infrastructure.
The improvement was anticipated to add 14,000 barrels of condensate every day, with gasoline manufacturing of up to 4 million cubic metres every day projected by 2028.
NNPC stated the Akpo principal discipline produced 124,000 barrels of oil equal every day in 2023.
A profitable end result from the brand new drilling marketing campaign may assist additional improvement of the asset and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to maintain or improve offshore hydrocarbon manufacturing.
It may additionally generate extra royalties, taxes and different authorities receipts if the drilling outcomes in commercially viable manufacturing.
However, the financial advantages will rely on the character of the properly, its outcomes, improvement prices and whether or not any extra hydrocarbons could be commercially produced since a graduation of drilling alone doesn’t assure new manufacturing.
Questions over offshore communities’ advantages
Beyond the potential contribution to nationwide manufacturing, the marketing campaign raises questions on how a lot financial worth communities affected by the operations will derive from one other part of deepwater funding.
Although TotalEnergies says it has established 5 Host Communities Development Trusts for its Nigerian operations, publicly obtainable information reviewed by PREMIUM TIMES don’t present that the trusts cowl the littoral communities assigned to its deepwater operations.
The firm has recognized 5 trusts protecting its Nigerian petroleum operations: Obagi, Olo, BOPANE, NOPL and Port Harcourt. However, a assessment of the HostComply platform, which tracks the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act’s host communities framework, and TotalEnergies’ publicly obtainable corporate records and web site didn’t reveal a individually identifiable belief or beneficiary-community record for its Akpo and Egina offshore operations.
This raises questions on whether or not the communities assigned to these deepwater belongings have been formally recognised as beneficiaries of the statutory improvement preparations and whether or not the corporate has fulfilled its funding obligations to them.
The Petroleum Industry Act, which got here into pressure in August 2021, requires petroleum operators to set up Host Communities Development Trusts inside 12 months of the Act’s graduation. It additionally requires every settlor, the place relevant via the operator, to contribute three per cent of its precise annual working expenditure in the previous monetary yr to the relevant belief.
Although Akpo had commenced manufacturing in 2009, greater than a decade earlier than the Act was enacted, its present manufacturing standing didn’t exempt the operator from the brand new statutory host-community framework.
The regulator, NUPRC, had particularly recognized communities alongside Nigeria’s shoreline as beneficiaries of deepwater petroleum operations.
In a presentation delivered on 29 July 2022, the then Chief Executive of NUPRC, Gbenga Komolafe, outlined the regulator’s proposed allocation of littoral communities to deepwater operators for the implementation of the host communities laws.
The presentation recognized Rivers and Bayelsa states because the littoral states allotted to the Akpo/Egina deepwater operations.
The allocation means that communities in the 2 states have been anticipated to be thought-about in figuring out the host-community improvement preparations for the fields.
However, PREMIUM TIMES couldn’t independently set up from publicly accessible information whether or not TotalEnergies has subsequently integrated a belief particularly protecting these communities, whether or not they have been built-in into any of its 5 present trusts or how a lot has been contributed for their profit.
A media enquiry to the corporate by way of mail searching for verification was not responded to as of the time this report was filed. The firm wants to make clear which trusts cowl the Akpo/Egina littoral communities, establish the beneficiary communities and disclose the contributions made out of the working expenditure of the deepwater belongings.
The Petroleum Industry Act was designed to be sure that communities affected by petroleum operations obtain direct and measurable social and financial advantages, somewhat than being excluded from improvement alternatives generated by the business.
Environmental accountability stays necessary
The new drilling marketing campaign can also be going down in a time of questions on TotalEnergies’ environmental efficiency in Nigeria, significantly its claims about ending routine gasoline flaring.
In a 12 October investigation, PREMIUM TIMES examined the corporate’s declaration that it had eradicated routine gasoline flaring in Nigeria.
The investigation documented persevering with flare exercise round its OML 58 and OML 130 belongings, utilizing satellite tv for pc observations, regulatory knowledge and accounts from residents of communities internet hosting its amenities.
Data from the Nigerian Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency’s Gas Flare Tracker confirmed that estimated flare volumes round OML 130 the place the corporate is now enterprise fresh drilling rose to 7.9 million customary cubic ft in 2025, from ranges under 6.2 million customary cubic ft in 2022 and 2023.
The investigation additionally discovered gaps in publicly accessible asset-level methane emissions data, elevating questions on whether or not the corporate’s environmental claims may very well be verified.
Although the existence of flare exercise doesn’t by itself suggest continued routine flaring, the findings highlighted the necessity for clear emissions information and efficient regulatory oversight.
The arrival of one other drilling vessel locations renewed significance on environmental monitoring, significantly the prevention of methane emissions, oil spills and different air pollution related to offshore exploration and manufacturing.
NUPRC is accountable for regulating upstream petroleum operations, whereas the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency oversees oil spill preparedness, detection and response.
For host communities and environmental advocates, the central challenge is whether or not elevated funding in offshore petroleum operations might be matched by stronger environmental safeguards and clear disclosure of operational impacts, particularly at a deep-water location the place attain could also be troublesome for the regulator and communities.
Major funding in deepwater operations
The Noble Black Rhino is an ultra-deepwater drillship owned by Noble Corporation, a global offshore drilling contractor.
The vessel is designed to function in water depths of up to 12,000 ft and drill wells to depths of roughly 40,000 ft.
In its third-quarter 2026 monetary outcomes published on 26 October, Noble disclosed that it had secured a four-well contract with TotalEnergies in Nigeria.
The contract was anticipated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and run for roughly 150 days, with six extra priced possibility wells.
However, Noble’s disclosure didn’t establish the precise fields the place all of the wells can be drilled or present a breakdown of the contract’s worth.
TotalEnergies’ announcement concerning the arrival of the vessel identifies Akpo as the placement of its instant drilling marketing campaign.
The firm stated the event reinforces its dedication to accountable power improvement, operational security, technological innovation and elevated Nigerian participation in the oil and gasoline business.
TotalEnergies has operated in Nigeria for greater than six a long time and stays one of many nation’s main worldwide oil and gasoline producers.
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