PRESIDENT TINUBU WELCOMES SHELL’S FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION ON BONGA NORTH DEEP OFFSHORE FIELD.
PRESIDENT TINUBU WELCOMES SHELL’S FINAL INVESTMENT DECISION ON BONGA NORTH DEEP OFFSHORE FIELD
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has welcomed Shell and its partners’ announcement of the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the Bonga North Deep Offshore Field. This landmark development, Nigeria’s first deepwater oil project in over a decade, underscores the transformative impact of the President’s policies and reforms in attracting investments in the oil and gas sector.
The Bonga North oilfield, located 130 kilometres offshore in Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, represents an impressive estimated $5 billion investment and is expected to yield approximately 350 million barrels of crude oil. Shell holds the largest operational interest, with 55%. Its other partners are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Eni.
According to President Tinubu, “The Renewed Hope Agenda fundamentally focuses on attracting investments to transform the Nigerian economy and deliver prosperity to our people. We designed our policies and reforms from the start of my administration to achieve this goal. Shell and its partners’ decision to invest in Bonga North affirms the success of our efforts. We will continue to offer the necessary support to ensure their success and the realisation of Nigeria’s energy potential.”
The Bonga North project is the second of the blueprint projects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu selected to drive the implementation of the transformative Presidential Directives 40, 41, and 42 issued in the first quarter of 2024. These directives, aimed at enhancing regulatory clarity, accelerating project timelines, and incentivising investment in Nigeria’s energy sector, have yielded remarkable results.
Ms Olu Arowolo Verheijen, Special Adviser to the President on Energy, noted that “The Bonga North FID dispels the misconceptions about International Oil Companies leaving Nigeria. Instead, we are witnessing a strategic pivot of IOCs-powered capital and technical capacity to deepwater and integrated gas projects, which align with President Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria into a global energy hub.”
