Chevron is set to begin the first phase of a drilling campaign at Nigeria’s Agbami field and the Ikija discovery in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to partner Meren Energy, signaling fresh upstream activity in the offshore Niger Delta.
The campaign will start with an appraisal well at Ikija, followed by six infill wells at Agbami across 2027 and 2028. Agbami, which came onstream in 2008 through the Agbami FPSO, produced about 71,400 barrels a day in 2025.
Offshore Push
The move highlights Chevron’s continued interest in Nigeria’s deepwater basin, where established assets remain a key source of production stability and incremental output. Agbami is split across PML 52 and OML 128, while Ikija sits in PPL 2003.
Chappal Energies remains the other partner in Agbami, while Famfa Oil is a partner in Ikija. The planned drilling suggests Chevron is targeting both near-term appraisal potential and longer-cycle production support from one of Nigeria’s most important offshore hubs.
Sector Context
The activity comes as international oil companies weigh capital allocation across Africa amid mixed fiscal, regulatory and execution risks. In that setting, Nigerian deepwater assets with existing infrastructure can remain attractive because they offer lower development risk than frontier projects.
For Nigeria, any successful drilling campaign would be welcome at a time when the country is still working to sustain output and reverse declines from mature fields. The broader significance lies in whether more offshore capital follows once the first wells confirm commercial potential.
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