Shell Announces Final Investment Decision for Bonga North Deep-Water Project, Advancing Nigeria’s Offshore Energy Development

Shell Announces Final Investment Decision for Bonga North Deep-Water Project, Advancing Nigeria’s Offshore Energy Development

(IN BRIEF) Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell plc, has approved the final investment decision for the Bonga North project, a deep-water oil and gas development off Nigeria’s coast. The project, which ties into the Shell-operated Bonga FPSO facility, involves drilling 16 wells, upgrading the FPSO, and installing new subsea hardware. With recoverable resources exceeding 300 million barrels of oil equivalent, Bonga North is expected to produce 110,000 barrels of oil per day at peak, with first oil anticipated by the decade’s end. Shell’s Zoë Yujnovich emphasized the project’s role in sustaining upstream production and cash generation, aligning with Shell’s strategy of leveraging near-field opportunities. The development underscores Shell’s commitment to Nigeria’s energy sector and strengthens its partnerships with NNPC and other stakeholders.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 16-Dec-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), a subsidiary of Shell plc, has confirmed its final investment decision (FID) for the Bonga North project, an ambitious deep-water oil and gas development off the coast of Nigeria. The project, designed as a subsea tie-back to the Shell-operated Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, will leverage Shell’s technical expertise and strong partnerships to sustain production in the region.

The Bonga North development includes drilling and completing 16 wells, comprising eight production wells and eight water injection wells, as well as significant upgrades to the existing Bonga FPSO facility. New subsea hardware will also be installed to integrate with the FPSO. The project is expected to produce first oil by the end of the decade, with a peak output of 110,000 barrels of oil per day and recoverable resource volumes exceeding 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe).

Zoë Yujnovich, Shell’s Integrated Gas and Upstream Director, highlighted the significance of the decision: “This is a major step forward, ensuring that Shell maintains stable liquids production from our advantaged upstream portfolio. The Bonga North project will continue to underpin our cash generation into the next decade.”

Shell operates the Bonga field with a 55% interest in collaboration with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (20%), Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd. (12.5%), and TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (12.5%), on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). Bonga, located in the deep waters of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118, began production in 2005 and reached its one-billionth barrel milestone in 2023.

The Bonga North project reflects Shell’s strategy of leveraging near-field opportunities and replicable models to enhance performance while meeting global energy needs. With a projected internal rate of return surpassing Shell’s hurdle rate, the development underscores the company’s commitment to delivering value through sustainable upstream investments.

About the Bonga FPSO and Bonga North:
The Bonga FPSO facility, operating at water depths exceeding 1,000 meters, has a production capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil per day. The Bonga North development, classified as 2P under the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Petroleum Resources Management System, is expected to significantly bolster the facility’s output and extend its operational life.

This latest investment reinforces Shell’s role as a leader in Nigeria’s energy sector, driving innovation, and supporting the country’s long-term energy security and economic development.

Notes to editors:

• SNEPCo (55%) operates the Bonga field in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (20%), Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd. (12.5%), and TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd. (12.5%), on behalf of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
• Bonga is a deep-water development located in OML 118, at water depths exceeding 1,000 meters. Production at the Bonga FPSO began in 2005, with a capacity to produce 225,000 barrels of oil per day. The project produced its one-billionth barrel of crude oil in 2023.
• The Bonga North development holds estimated recoverable resource volumes of more than 300 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe). These volumes are currently classified as 2P (proven and probable) under the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Petroleum Resources Management System.
• The estimated peak production and recoverable resources mentioned above are 100% total gross figures.
• The investment in Bonga North is expected to generate an internal rate of return (IRR) in excess of the hurdle rate for Shell’s Upstream business.
• Shell’s Upstream business continues to set new benchmarks in performance through near-field opportunities like Bonga North, leveraging technical expertise, strong partnerships, and a model built on simplification and replication.

Cautionary note

The companies in which Shell plc directly and indirectly owns investments are separate legal entities. In this announcement “Shell”, “Shell Group” and “Group” are sometimes used for convenience where references are made to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” are also used to refer to Shell plc and its subsidiaries in general or to those who work for them. These terms are also used where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular entity or entities. ‘‘Subsidiaries’’, “Shell subsidiaries” and “Shell companies” as used in this announcement refer to entities over which Shell plc either directly or indirectly has control. The term “joint venture”, “joint operations”, “joint arrangements”, and “associates” may also be used to refer to a commercial arrangement in which Shell has a direct or indirect ownership interest with one or more parties. The term “Shell interest” is used for convenience to indicate the direct and/or indirect ownership interest held by Shell in an entity or unincorporated joint arrangement, after exclusion of all third-party interest.

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) concerning the financial condition, results of operations and businesses of Shell. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements of future expectations that are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements concerning the potential exposure of Shell to market risks and statements expressing management’s expectations, beliefs, estimates, forecasts, projections and assumptions. These forward-looking statements are identified by their use of terms and phrases such as “aim”; “ambition”; ‘‘anticipate’’; ‘‘believe’’; “commit”; “commitment”; ‘‘could’’; ‘‘estimate’’; ‘‘expect’’; ‘‘goals’’; ‘‘intend’’; ‘‘may’’; “milestones”; ‘‘objectives’’; ‘‘outlook’’; ‘‘plan’’; ‘‘probably’’; ‘‘project’’; ‘‘risks’’; “schedule”; ‘‘seek’’; ‘‘should’’; ‘‘target’’; ‘‘will’’; “would” and similar terms and phrases. There are a number of factors that could affect the future operations of Shell and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this announcement, including (without limitation): (a) price fluctuations in crude oil and natural gas; (b) changes in demand for Shell’s products; (c) currency fluctuations; (d) drilling and production results; (e) reserves estimates; (f) loss of market share and industry competition; (g) environmental and physical risks; (h) risks associated with the identification of suitable potential acquisition properties and targets, and successful negotiation and completion of such transactions; (i) the risk of doing business in developing countries and countries subject to international sanctions; (j) legislative, judicial, fiscal and regulatory developments including regulatory measures addressing climate change; (k) economic and financial market conditions in various countries and regions; (l) political risks, including the risks of expropriation and renegotiation of the terms of contracts with governmental entities, delays or advancements in the approval of projects and delays in the reimbursement for shared costs; (m) risks associated with the impact of pandemics, such as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, regional conflicts, such as the Russia-Ukraine war, and a significant cybersecurity breach; and (n) changes in trading conditions. No assurance is provided that future dividend payments will match or exceed previous dividend payments. All forward-looking statements contained in this announcement are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional risk factors that may affect future results are contained in Shell plc’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 (available at www.shell.com/investors/news-and-filings/sec-filings.html and www.sec.gov). These risk factors also expressly qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this announcement and should be considered by the reader. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this announcement, 16 December 2024. Neither Shell plc nor any of its subsidiaries undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or other information. In light of these risks, results could differ materially from those stated, implied or inferred from the forward-looking statements contained in this announcement.

Shell’s Net Carbon Intensity

Also, in this announcement we may refer to Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” (NCI), which includes Shell’s carbon emissions from the production of our energy products, our suppliers’ carbon emissions in supplying energy for that production and our customers’ carbon emissions associated with their use of the energy products we sell. Shell’s NCI also includes the emissions associated with the production and use of energy products produced by others which Shell purchases for resale. Shell only controls its own emissions. The use of the terms Shell’s “Net Carbon Intensity” or NCI are for convenience only and not intended to suggest these emissions are those of Shell plc or its subsidiaries.

Shell’s net-zero emissions target

Shell’s operating plan, outlook and budgets are forecasted for a ten-year period and are updated every year. They reflect the current economic environment and what we can reasonably expect to see over the next ten years. Accordingly, they reflect our Scope 1, Scope 2 and NCI targets over the next ten years. However, Shell’s operating plans cannot reflect our 2050 net-zero emissions target, as this target is currently outside our planning period. In the future, as society moves towards net-zero emissions, we expect Shell’s operating plans to reflect this movement. However, if society is not net zero in 2050, as of today, there would be significant risk that Shell may not meet this target.

Forward-looking non-GAAP measures

This announcement may contain certain forward-looking non-GAAP measures such as cash capital expenditure and divestments. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of these forward-looking non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures because certain information needed to reconcile those non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures is dependent on future events some of which are outside the control of Shell, such as oil and gas prices, interest rates and exchange rates. Moreover, estimating such GAAP measures with the required precision necessary to provide a meaningful reconciliation is extremely difficult and could not be accomplished without unreasonable effort. Non-GAAP measures in respect of future periods which cannot be reconciled to the most comparable GAAP financial measure are calculated in a manner which is consistent with the accounting policies applied in Shell plc’s consolidated financial statements.

The contents of websites referred to in this announcement do not form part of this announcement.

We may have used certain terms, such as resources, in this announcement that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) strictly prohibits us from including in our filings with the SEC.Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 20-F, File No 1-32575, available on the SEC website www.sec.gov.

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SOURCE: Shell