Backscatter map with water column anomalies over a live seep
Why Nigeria?
The offshore Nigerian shelf is West Africa's most prolific hydrocarbon province, boasting multiple billion-barrel discoveries and decades of successful production. Nigeria remains a major oil producer in Africa, with approximately 37 billion barrels of oil reserves, ranking among the top ten globally. The country produces between 1.3 and 1.8 million barrels of crude oil daily and has over 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, with the potential to reach 600 trillion cubic feet.
At TGS, in partnership with PetroData, we are committed to providing top-tier data in the region. Our datasets include a distinctive 2D seismic survey, a comprehensive regional Multibeam and Seafloor Sampling (MB&SS) study, and a pioneering geochemical coring project. These resources are uniquely positioned to evaluate a wide range of exploration opportunities in open and deepwater acreage.
Nigeria License Round 2024
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is offering 24 blocks in its 2024 licensing round, including seven deep offshore assets from the previous bid round. This makes a total of 31 offshore blocks. Prequalification is expected to close early July 2024, and bidding will be overseen by the NUPRC and scheduled to conclude by December 2024.
TGS is supporting this round with a suite of offshore subsurface data, including 2D and 3D seismic, multibeam, coring, and geochemical programs – the first of its kind in the region. Our multibeam and seafloor sampling dataset, which is mandatory for all pre-qualified bidders, covers approximately 82,000 km2 and provides a fresh perspective on exploration plays in deep-water Nigeria, offering fresh insights to prospective bidders for exploration risk management and aligning with the government's goals of reserve maturation and production optimisation.
Data Availability
| Block Name | Area (sq. km) | TGS 2D (km) | Data Coverage (2D km / 3D sq. km) |
Wells | Water depth (m) min | Water depth (m) max |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PPL2002 | 985 | 2D/3D/MBSS | 114/1 | 0 | 2149 | 3352 |
| PPL2003 | 968 | 3D/MBSS | 393 | 2 | 1609 | 2722 |
| PPL2004 | 953 | 2D/MBSS | 422 | 0 | 2487 | 3566 |
| PPL2005 | 955 | 2D/MBSS | 62 | 0 | 2402 | 3543 |
| PPL2006 | 972 | 2D/MBSS | 379 | 0 | 1941 | 2612 |
| PPL2007 | 999 | 2D/MBSS | 408 | 2 | 1727 | 2315 |
| PPL2008 | 985 | 2D/3D/MBSS | 254 / 562 | 0 | 1827 | 2628 |
| PPL2009 | 797 | 3D/MBSS | 797 | 0 | 1312 | 2178 |
| PPL3007 | 729 | MBSS | MBSS Only | 1 | 968 | 1666 |
| PPL3010 | 847 | 2D/MBSS | 441 | 0 | 2650 | 3272 |
| PPL3011 | 847 | 2D/3D/MBSS | 463 / 53 | 2 | 2112 | 2847 |
| PPL3012 | 954 | 2D/MBSS | 384 | 0 | 2813 | 3608 |
| PPL3013 | 973 | 2D/MBSS | 327 | 0 | 2231 | 3232 |
| PPL3014 | 924 | 2D/MBSS | 367 | 0 | 2389 | 3460 |
| PPL3015 | 963 | 2D/MBSS | 381 | 0 | 2759 | 3601 |
| PPL3016 | 933 | 2D/MBSS | 477 | 0 | 2627 | 3421 |
| PPL3017 | 931 | 2D/MBSS | 136 | 0 | 2668 | 3733 |
| PPL300 | 1000 | None | None | 0 | -1 | 1633 |
| PPL301 | 1000 | None | None | 1 | +1 | 1225 |
| PPL269 | 36 | None | None | 4 | 80 | 106 |
| PPL270 | 10 | None | None | 0 | +2 | 2 |
| PPL271 | 14 | None | None | 0 | +2 | 4 |
| PPL2000 | 969 | 2D/MBSS | 118 | 2 | 1194 | 1967 |
| PPL2001 | 990 | 2D/MBSS | 165.6 | 0 | 1108 | 2143 |
Awele 3D: Results from PSTM fast-track data
Awele 3D - New Seismic Acquisition
The Awele 3D multiclient seismic program, which commenced in Q3 of 2023, aims to enhance Nigeria’s energy potential by providing valuable data insights into untapped hydrocarbon resources and revealing prospectivity in the offshore deep and ultra-deep waters of the Niger Delta Basin.
The acquisition stage of the Awele 3D program is now complete, and processing is ongoing. Expected products and timelines:
- Awele South PSTM fast-track (approx. 5,900km2) available Q2 2024.
- Awele North PSTM fast-track (approx. 5,530km2) available Q3 2024
- Final PSTM products (approx. 11,430km2) available Q4 2024
- Final PSDM products (approx. 11,430km2) using a high-resolution velocity model with FWI integrated with tomography available Q2 2025.
Unlocking the prospectivity and de-risking drilling operations in one of Africa's largest and oldest hydrocarbon producers will further bolster Nigeria’s energy production capacity to meet the rising energy demand.
Mini Bid Round
The Federal Government of Nigeria has opened a mini-bid license round to explore and exploit petroleum opportunities. Seven deep offshore oil and gas blocks are on offer, with the round providing interested parties the chance to invest in the region's potential for oil and gas.
TGS-PetroData is pleased to welcome potential bidders to come and view our data packages covering the seven blocks. We offer data from our newly acquired offshore multibeam, coring, and geochemical program (the first of its type in the region), with its interpretation from newly reprocessed deep-water 2D data set, to provide a new de-risking angle to the exploration plays in the deep-water region.
Nigeria Mini Bid Round - 7 license blocks
Our Data Coverage
TGS subsurface data coverage and block map.
Orange = 2D seismic lines. Yellow = Multibeam and Sea Seep coverage area.
Our Data
We offer a variety of data types to explore the offshore waters of Nigeria. Alongside seismic data, we also present a unique regional Multibeam and Seafloor Sampling (MB&SS) study to provide cost-effective insight into the seafloor. These data sets, combined with our geochemical analysis, will allow explorers to evaluate a variety of open and deep-water acreage exploration opportunities.Data available offshore Nigeria consists of the following:
- 17,874 km NGRE19 2D multi-client seismic - formerly named the VERNG9899 survey, TGS reprocessed this project in 2019
- 2,048 km NG02 2D multi-client seismic
- 82,000 sq km Multibeam and Seafloor Sampling (MB&SS) - 1,223 active hydrocarbon seeps detected
- Interpretation Products
- Drop Coring - including 17 seabed heat flow measurements and 253 cores
Multibeam
Multibeam bathymetry and backscatter surveys provide a comprehensive view of the seafloor cost-effectively and efficiently and complement traditional tools such as seismic, gravity, and magnetics.
We have acquired over 82,000 km2 of multibeam data at water depths between 750-3,500 meters, and have high-graded the huge amount of anomalies identified in the data. The project is in partnership with the DPR, Nigeria through our local joint venture company, TGS-Petrodata.
Nigeria's Deepwater Potential
With significantly improved imaging of more than 17,000 km of recently reprocessed 2D seismic offshore Nigeria, TGS-PD data will enable a better understanding of the petroleum system of the deepwater offshore area. Our new depth imaging creates more accurate dip and realistic volume interpretation of features of interest. The potential for new license rounds over the deepwater open blocks, in conjunction with lower-risk petroleum play concepts, could once again establish Nigeria as West Africa’s flagship country for exploration.
More than ten currently producing fields in water depths of 1,000 m to 3,000 m confirm source rock presence and maturity in the deepwater region offshore Nigeria. These seem to prove that the Akata Shale formation can be mature for oil further outboard than the shelf and that there are feasible migration paths and trap charge scenarios in the distal part of the delta lobes. This makes prospects further outboard viable, such as those identified in the outer fold and thrust belt. Structural analyses on the fault and thrust patterns and detachment mechanisms of the margin slope show various viable setups of charging several folds and thrusts along the slope.
The geometry and timing of the toe thrust formation, which detached on a most likely over-pressured regional shale formation, allow substantial volumes to be charged downdip from the known discoveries and production locations.
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