TotalEnergies EP Nigeria has confirmed that it will formally inaugurate a “5MW solar plant” at OML, aiming to power operations at the Ubeta gas development and sharply reduce carbon intensity in its onshore oil and gas activities. The announcement was made by Managing Director Mathieu Bouyer during a high-level industry session in Abuja, where he outlined the company’s strategic priorities in Nigeria’s energy sector.
The solar installation is designed as a dedicated electricity source for the OML 58 concession, which lies in Rivers State and hosts the Ubeta gas project. By integrating this modest but strategically significant renewable power input, TotalEnergies intends to lessen its dependence on diesel-powered generation and conventional fossil-fuel electricity procurement. This shift aligns with broader corporate goals to cut emissions and enhance operational efficiency in hydrocarbon production environments.
Bouyer framed the project as a key element of TotalEnergies’ operating blueprint in Nigeria, where the firm pursues a dual focus: expanding oil and gas output while accelerating power generation through cleaner, integrated solutions. He emphasised that the solar plant will support the near-term energy needs of upstream facilities tied to the Ubeta field, improving the sustainability profile of one of the company’s critical onshore assets.
This step is taken against the backdrop of the Ubeta field’s development, where TotalEnergies, in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Ltd (NNPCL), earlier took a final investment decision to commercialise a significant non-associated gas resource within the OML 58 licence at Obite. The development is positioned to deliver substantial volumes of gas with a plateau expectation in the hundreds of millions of standard cubic feet per day, into the domestic market and to Nigeria LNG’s Bonny Island plant.
The integration of solar generation at an upstream oil and gas concession reflects global industry trends where major energy companies seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon intensity within core hydrocarbon operations. In this case, the 5 MW facility serves both as a power supply solution and as a visible indicator of TotalEnergies’ attempt to embed low-carbon elements into traditional oil and gas infrastructure.
In his remarks, Bouyer also noted that TotalEnergies has achieved elimination of routine gas flaring across its Nigerian upstream operations, another milestone in emissions control and has deployed substantial methane monitoring systems across production sites. This demonstrates a broader commitment to environmental performance improvements alongside asset development.
While the solar plant’s capacity is relatively small compared with large utility-scale solar projects, its operational role within an oil-field context is strategically meaningful. It shows how incremental renewable inputs can be integrated into existing energy infrastructures to deliver immediate reductions in fossil energy consumption and lower overall carbon profiles, a priority for both investors and regulatory stakeholders.
The OML 58 solar initiative fits within TotalEnergies’ long-term presence in Nigeria, where it has operated for decades across multiple upstream licences and continues to invest in both hydrocarbon development and power-forward solutions.
In summary, the planned launch of the “5MW solar plant” at OML 58 underscores a calculated shift in operational planning that balances energy production growth with emissions reduction, reflecting the company’s analytical focus on economics, sustainability, and competitive investment positioning in the Nigerian energy sector.
