Canada-based Meren Energy has announced plans to begin new appraisal and infill drilling activities earlier than expected at the Chevron-operated Ikija and Agbami oil fields located offshore Nigeria.
The company revealed that the drilling programme, originally scheduled for the first quarter of 2027, has now been moved forward to the fourth quarter of 2026. Meren holds an eight per cent stake in both the undeveloped Ikija field and the producing Agbami field.
The decision comes as international oil companies search for ways to increase Nigeria’s declining offshore oil production. One of the methods being used is infill drilling, which involves drilling additional wells within existing oil fields to improve production and recover more crude oil.
According to data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, deepwater oil production from seven major offshore leases operated by international oil firms dropped significantly in 2026. Combined output averaged about 352,000 barrels per day during the first four months of the year, representing a 20 per cent decline compared to the previous year.
The figures also show a major drop from production levels recorded in 2020, when output stood at about 704,000 barrels per day in the first half of that year.
Production at the Agbami field also declined during the January to April period. Output averaged around 63,000 barrels per day, which was about 20 per cent lower than the same period last year.
Meren explained that production at Agbami is still recovering after maintenance work was carried out on the field’s Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel, commonly known as an FPSO, between November and December last year.
The company said the upcoming drilling campaign will begin with an appraisal well at the Ikija field. Appraisal drilling is carried out to determine the size and commercial value of an oil discovery before full development begins.
Meren previously stated that first oil production from Ikija is expected by 2032. The field is planned to be developed through a tie-back arrangement connected to the existing Agbami FPSO infrastructure.
Despite bringing forward the drilling schedule, Meren said broader infill drilling activities at Agbami remain on track. The company currently plans to drill six additional infill wells between 2027 and 2028 to help improve production levels.
Meanwhile, French energy giant TotalEnergies is also preparing for a major offshore drilling campaign in Nigeria. Meren owns a 32 per cent stake in several TotalEnergies-operated fields, including Akpo, Akpo Far East, Akpo South, Egina and Preowei.
The company said TotalEnergies is expected to mobilise a drilling rig later this year, beginning with the Akpo Far East exploration well.
Akpo Far East is believed to contain about 144 million barrels of oil equivalent. The field is expected to produce liquids similar to the condensate currently produced at the Akpo field. If exploration activities are successful, existing infrastructure such as the Akpo FPSO will be used for production.
TotalEnergies also plans to resume infill drilling at the Akpo and Egina fields after suspending operations in 2025 to review seismic data.
Production at both fields has also fallen this year. Akpo condensate production dropped by 18 per cent to around 46,000 barrels per day, while Egina crude production declined by 25 per cent to approximately 51,000 barrels per day.
Meren said the new drilling and intervention activities are expected to improve production from early 2027. The company also confirmed that an appraisal well at Egina South is scheduled for later this year.
