• As IKD1 Topside Sale Away pushes IKIKE project to 74% completion

By Egufe Yafugborhi

PORT HARCOURT – ONLY TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria Limited has kept faith with the Nigerian oil and gas industry among upstream players amidst challenges and uncertainties in the past 10 years.

Executive Secretary Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, made the observation Monday in Port Harcourt where he led stakeholders to perform the Sale Away on the IKD1 Topside, signaling completion of the last platform to enable tie-back of the IKIKE Project to the Amenam Production towards unlocking over 32,000 barrels of oil per day from second quarter of 2022.

The IKIKE Project Manager, Modestus Nwosu, noted that with the IKD1 Topside delivery, the project, a Joint Venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (60%) and TotalEnergies (40%) has met 74% completion.

Wabote in his remarks stated, “It is on record that TotalEnergies has been the only upstream company taking key Final Investments Decisions on major projects in the last 10years. The company has continuously kept faith with Nigeria’s oil and gas industry despite the ups and downs.

“Nigeria is keen to have strategic partners such as TotalEnergies to enable us realise our targets especially in consideration of the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act. The Board is delighted to note the TotalEnergies is committed to sustained investments in the gas sector with consideration for renewable energy”

TotalEnergies Nigeria’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mike Sangster, said, “The IKIKE Field Development Project, on the heels of the Egina Project is a further commitment of TotalEnergies to Nigeria and the growth of the oil and gas sector.”

Aside meeting the incremental 32,000bpd, Sangster said the IKIKE also aims to “Capitalize on lessons learnt from previous projects (OFON2, OML 58 Upgrade)to assure a development with strategy fit for context, maximize local content at sustainable cost, simplified design, economic and fast execution to first oil.Create a template for future similar developments of TotalEnergies.”

Walter Peviani, Managing Director, Saipem Nigeria Limited which fabricated the IKD1 Topside at its Port Harcourt yard in collaboration with local firms, IGPES and other subcontractors, thanked TotalEnergies for believing in their capacity to deliver on time without Lost Time Injury (LTI) or incident amidst industry challenges including Covid-19.

The locally in-country IKD1 platform is designed to be fully unmanned and remotely operated, heralding the extension of innovation and technology towards the new normal in the oil and gas industry to the shores of Nigeria with remarkable opportunities in technology transfer.