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- Adds 135 MMscf/d to Nigeria’s domestic gas supply
Sopuruchi Onwuka
Innovative, rigless recompletion of a key non-associated gas well in oil mining lease (OML) 17 has added momentum to Nigeria’s drive toward stable, affordable energy supply.
Operator of the oil block, Heirs Energies, declared in a statement that the feat would be Nigeria’s first rigless recompletion of a non-associated gas well and a breakthrough that has doubled gas output by the joint venture to a peak of 135 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscf/d) and triggered a sharp rise in electricity generation across the eastern corridor.
Heirs Energies operated the oil and gas exploration and production joint venture with the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited in OML 17 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Head of Corporate Communications at Heirs Energies, Ms Chidimma Ugbojiaku, declared on Wednesday that the increased gas supply has transformed performance at several power plants that rely on the OML 17 network.
“Transcorp PLC’s TransAfam Power plant lifted generation from about 50 megawatts to more than 180 megawatts, peaking at 200. Other plants, including First Independent Power Limited and Geometric Power, also achieved more stable and higher output.
“In total, the plants now produce more than 350 megawatts, up from about 100. This surge provides enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses, cutting blackouts and strengthening essential services such as hospitals, schools, factories, and small enterprises,” she said.
She noted that the project has earned national recognition. The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, wrote to congratulate the JV, describing the achievement as a clear demonstration of Nigerian engineering excellence and persistent innovation. She reaffirmed the Presidency’s support for continued expansion of gas-to-power capacity.
Sharing details of the technical achievement, Ms Ugbojiaku said the well had been shut in due to high water production. Instead of drilling a new well or conducting a traditional workover, Heirs Energies engineered a rigless, through-tubing recompletion into an untouched reservoir interval. The intervention was completed in record time, safely, and at only 15 percent of the cost of drilling a replacement well. She described it as a new benchmark for cost-efficient upstream operations in Nigeria.
She added that senior leaders across NNPC and NUIMS have praised the result. NNPC’s EVP Upstream, Udy Ntia, highlighted the JV’s commitment to unlocking gas resources for national development. NUIMS’ Chief Upstream Investment Officer, Engr. Seyi Omotowa, called the project a model for the kind of innovation needed to optimise Nigeria’s hydrocarbon assets.
According to Ms Ugbojiaku, the milestone reinforces Heirs Energies’ capabilities in managing brownfields and proves the strength of its fully Nigerian workforce. She said the JV remains focused on advancing gas-driven, technology-led developments that expand domestic supply, strengthen power generation, support industrial growth, and contribute to sustainable national progress.
She added that Heirs Energies, as Africa’s leading indigenous-owned integrated energy company, will continue to champion innovation, environmental responsibility, and community development while shaping a more prosperous and energy-secure Africa.
