TotalEnergies has revealed that it is expecting a deepwater drilling rig to arrive in Nigeria by the end of October 2026 as the company prepares for new exploration activity amid efforts to attract more investment into the country’s oil and gas sector.
The Managing Director and Country Chair of TotalEnergies Nigeria, Matthieu Bouyer, disclosed this during the Invest in Nigeria panel at African Energy Week 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Bouyer said the rig’s mobilisation process took nine months, compared with three years previously, highlighting a reduction in the time required to prepare equipment for drilling operations.
However, the company is seeking changes to the treatment of deepwater capital allowances under Nigeria’s new tax regime.
TotalEnergies is engaging the Ministry of Finance over the issue, arguing that the changes conflict with incentives introduced through presidential executive orders to encourage investment.
The company also linked recent production growth to improvements in pipeline security in the Niger Delta, where crude theft and attacks on oil infrastructure have disrupted oil production.
TotalEnergies is also advancing its Ima gas project with Nigerian partner AMNI after years of discussions. The partners took a final investment decision in September, committing to proceed with the development.
The project is expected to produce 350 million cubic feet of gas daily from 2028, with the gas intended to supply Nigeria LNG, the country’s liquefied natural gas export company.
The project is expected to support gas supply for export, while the anticipated drilling campaign represents a separate part of TotalEnergies’ upstream activity in Nigeria.
The company’s latest plans come as Nigeria seeks to attract investment into exploration and production to increase oil and gas output. However, the industry’s ability to sustain investment will depend partly on the stability of fiscal policies, security of oil infrastructure and the timely delivery of projects.
