How Shell’s Bonga Boosts Nigeria’s Oil Production In 2023
By Abimbola Abdullah
Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo) produced more oil at Bonga last year than the previous one, a review of operations has shown. Nigeria’s first deep-water development produced some 138,000 barrels of oil per day (boepd) in 2023 compared to around 101,000 in 2022.
Among other factors, the improvement was driven by drilling of new wells, optimising reservoir and facility management and excellent asset management.
“Bonga continues to justify the investments and hard work that led to its discovery,” said SNEPCo Managing Director Elohor Aiboni. “The uptick in production is the result of commitment by staff, continuous improvements in production processes and maintenance and the support of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPC) and our co-venture partners – TotalEnergies Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Agip Exploration and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited. Working together, we will continue to power lives and deliver value to all stakeholders.”
Bonga began production in November 2005 through the 225,000-barrels-per-day capacity Bonga FPSO, anchored 120 kilometres offshore. The FPSO exported the 1 billionth barrel of oil last year.
The operations have resulted in remittance of taxes and royalties to the Government of Nigeria to finance development, development of indigenous contactors and service providers, and a wide-ranging social investment portfolio which has improved lives across the country.
