French oil major TotalEnergies is preparing to drill exploration probes near its flagship Akpo deepwater field in Nigeria as it finalizes plans to sanction the nearby Preowei prospect, which is believed to hold up to 150 million barrels of oil reserves.
Upstream Online reported the development on Wednesday, noting that the company is targeting a well that will further boost output from the mature Akpo asset.
An exploration probe is a targeted activity designed to test the viability of a basin or block. It serves as a test drill or appraisal, rather than a full-scale exploration program.
If successful, the appraised wells could be developed as a subsea satellite to one of TotalEnergies’ floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels; most likely Akpo Main.
Akpo, a gas and condensate field discovered in 2000, began production in 2009 and produced up to 124,000 bpd in 2023.
In January 2024, the company also brought the Akpo West field online, operating it as a tie-back to Akpo Main.
Alongside the planned Akpo top-up probe, TotalEnergies is completing pre-development studies on the Preowei subsea project with the aim of boosting reserves.
TotalEnergies’ deepwater portfolio in Nigeria
The company operates some of Nigeria’s deepest offshore fields:
- Egina (1,400–1,700m)
- Akpo (1,500–1,700m)
- Preowei (1,100–1,300m)
It also holds non-operated stakes in ExxonMobil’s Usan field (20%) and Shell’s Bonga field (12.5%).
This latest plan signals a revival of TotalEnergies’ exploration activity in Nigeria.
Shift to deeper waters
In recent years, major oil companies have shifted from Nigeria’s onshore and shallow-water assets to deepwater operations, targeting low-cost, low-carbon, and lower-risk reserves.
In June, Olu Verheijen, Special Adviser on Energy to President Bola Tinubu, said such divestments have attracted over $8 billion in deepwater and gas investments to Nigeria in less than a year.
These inflows are credited to the current administration’s reforms, which have addressed fiscal and regulatory bottlenecks in the sector.
Despite the positive trend, exploration activity remains slow, with only a handful of announcements in recent months
In July, Shell announced it was buying TotalEnergies’ remaining stake in the Bonga deepwater field for $510 million.
Earlier this year, Mike Sangster, TotalEnergies’ Senior Vice President for Africa, confirmed the company’s commitment to Nigerian offshore development, stating:
“In Nigeria, there are significant reserves, and we are actively developing this sector. There are high-quality fields that can also serve export markets.”
Expanding across Africa
Outside Nigeria, TotalEnergies is also targeting new offshore drilling in the Orange Basin of South Africa, which extends into Namibia, where it operates the Venus discovery.
CEO Patrick Pouyanné said during the company’s Q2 2025 results presentation that he aims to drill up to 7 wells in 2026, if government approval is granted.
This follows the start of commercial production from Angola’s CLOV Phase 3 and BEGONIA subsea tie-back projects, which now deliver a combined 60,000 bpd.
Africa remains central to TotalEnergies’ global strategy, hosting some of its most strategic assets.
The continent receives the largest share of the company’s global exploration budget and accounts for half of its operated production worldwide.
“Africa remains at the heart of our exploration strategy. The largest part of our exploration budget is in Africa, reflecting our commitment to the continent’s energy future,” Sangster stressed in May.
