In a significant boost to Nigeria’s energy ambitions, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell plc, and Sunlink Energies and Resources Limited have jointly reached a final investment decision (FID) on the HI gas project, an offshore development poised to strengthen the country’s gas export capacity.
Announcing the decision on Tuesday, Shell said the project—located about 50 kilometers off the Nigerian coast—will deliver an estimated 350 million standard cubic feet of gas per day at peak production, equivalent to around 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. The gas will be supplied to Nigeria LNG (NLNG), in which Shell holds a 25.6% interest, to feed the company’s liquefied natural gas exports to global markets.
Production is scheduled to commence before the end of the decade, marking another major milestone in Nigeria’s Deepwater and Integrated Gas portfolio.
“Following recent investment decisions related to the Bonga deep-water development, today’s announcement demonstrates our continued commitment to Nigeria’s energy sector,” said Peter Costello, Shell’s Upstream President. “This upstream project will help us grow our leading integrated gas portfolio while advancing Nigeria’s ambitions to play a bigger role in the global LNG market.”
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The HI field, originally discovered in 1985, lies in about 100 meters of water and contains an estimated 285 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe) in recoverable resources, according to Shell. The project features a wellhead platform with four production wells, a pipeline system to transport multiphase gas to Bonny Island, and a gas processing facility that will channel output to NLNG’s Train 7 and condensate to the Bonny Oil and Gas Export Terminal.
Under the joint venture agreement, Sunlink Energies holds a 60% stake, while SNEPCo retains 40%.
Shell said the project will contribute to its global plan to grow upstream and integrated gas output by about 1% annually to 2030, aligning with its Capital Market Day 2025 target of bringing new gas projects online between 2025 and 2030 with a combined peak production exceeding one million barrels of oil equivalent per day.
The company added that LNG remains central to its low-carbon transition strategy, emitting significantly less greenhouse gases than coal or diesel when used for power generation or transport.
The new investment follows Shell’s Bonga North FID in December 2024 and an expanded stake in the broader Bonga field—moves that underscore its long-term confidence in Nigeria’s offshore potential.