Nigeria’s oil and gas company, Seplat Energy, is setting its sights on transforming the country’s energy sector by ramping up offshore oil and gas production in 2025. Speaking at an industry event, Seplat Energy’s Chief Executive Officer, Roger Brown, emphasized the company’s commitment to leveraging Nigeria’s vast energy resources to drive national transformation in collaboration with the government.
Brown highlighted that Seplat Energy’s extensive gas resources provide a significant opportunity to enhance Nigeria’s electricity generation and accelerate economic development.
Following its acquisition of Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited (MPNU) from ExxonMobil in December 2024—subsequently rebranded as Seplat Energy Producing Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU)—Seplat Energy has become one of the largest oil and gas producers in Nigeria. The acquisition, initially announced in November 2021 and confirmed in February 2022, faced delays but ultimately received approval from the country’s Minister of Petroleum Resources in October 2024.
MPNU’s portfolio includes a 40% operated interest in four offshore oil mining leases (OMLs 67, 68, 70, and 104), a 9.6% non-operated stake in the Amenam-Kpono field, around 120 shallow water and offshore facilities, approximately 200 producing wells, and 1,500 km of pipelines. The assets also include the Qua Iboe terminal and the Yoho floating storage and offloading (FSO) unit.
“With these asset acquisitions coming through, it is a new dawn for Nigeria and its people. This presents an opportunity to develop and transform the country, and Seplat Energy Group will play a dominant role in this space,” Brown stated.
During the announcement of the company’s 2024 annual results, Brown noted that early assessments of the newly acquired assets indicated substantial potential in the offshore shallow water segment, with a closed-loop system from well-head production to hydrocarbon sales at the terminal.
Seplat Energy anticipates an increase in operating costs as it intensifies investments in operations and maintenance (O&M) activities across its offshore assets. This includes reopening previously shut-in wells within SEPNU and accelerating subsurface analysis and contracting to initiate an infill drilling campaign.
As part of its strategy, Seplat plans to deploy two barges to operate across its offshore license areas starting in Q2 2025—one focusing on integrity works and the other on reactivating idle wells, targeting over 20 wells within the year.
Enhancing offshore infrastructure reliability and integrity is expected to establish a strong foundation for sustained production growth. However, due to the nature of offshore infrastructure, Seplat anticipates partial asset shutdowns, particularly in Q2 and Q3 2025, as part of its operational strategy.
Beyond Seplat Energy, other companies are actively contributing to Nigeria’s offshore exploration efforts. The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) and its joint venture partner, First Exploration & Petroleum Development Company (First E&P), recently reported a significant hydrocarbon discovery in the Songhai field, located in block OML 85 offshore Nigeria.
