Photo: Osa Igiehon
Heirs Energies has revealed how it doubled production at OML 17 by reviving previously inactive and underperforming wells, without drilling new ones, a strategy the company describes as “brownfield excellence.”
Speaking recently at a Lagos event marking the signing of gas offtake agreements, the Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Energies, Osa Igiehon, said the company deliberately chose to maximise existing assets rather than pursue fresh drilling, even while operating one of Nigeria’s oldest oil and gas fields.
“We set out to make a company that is impactful to Nigeria and Africa. Our ambition is very direct, and we are unequivocal about it. We have built a company that is not deterred by constraints, paradigms or stories. We built a company that just delivers, and you see it in every area we are involved in,” he said.
OML 17, located in Rivers State, is a 67-year-old asset dating back to Nigeria’s early years of commercial oil production. According to Igiehon, the field once symbolised the difficulties of operating onshore assets in Nigeria but has since been transformed under Heirs Energies’ operatorship.
“This is a 67-year-old asset. Nigeria started commercial production in 1958. This field was emblematic.
Over the past five years that we have operated this asset, we have transformed what was almost the poster child of onshore operating challenges into one of the champion assets in Africa,” he maintained.
Igiehon said the production turnaround was achieved without drilling new wells, relying instead on innovation, reactivation of shut-in wells and optimisation of existing infrastructure.
“We doubled production. We are one of the lowest-cost operators in Nigeria. We have helped catalyse the resolution of crude theft that almost brought our country to its knees.”
He added that the company’s approach to reviving dormant assets is proprietary, hailing its prowess in brownfield operations.
“We are known for our expertise in brownfields. We have achieved all this without drilling new wells. We call our approach, which is proprietary, brownfield excellence: making the most of existing investments before creating new ones,” Igiehon added.
According to him, the company focused on removing operational, regulatory and social risks that had historically hindered output.
“We have de-risked all the issues and constraints. We have taken away all excuses. We have strong relationships with our JV partner, regulator and host communities, which has enabled a new way of working. Running a 67-year-old asset at more than 85–90 per cent uptime is remarkable, by a 100 per cent Nigerian team,” he said.
Heirs Energies operates OML 17 in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. The asset spans multiple flow stations, gas plants and associated gas facilities, holding over 1.5 billion barrels of oil and more than 2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Building on its oil production gains, Igiehon said the same brownfield strategy has now been extended to gas. Heirs Energies has doubled gas production from about 50 million standard cubic feet per day to over 120 million scf per day, largely by reactivating idle wells and completing stalled projects.
He explained that the increased gas output has had a direct impact on electricity generation in eastern Nigeria.
“With innovation, we have reactivated dead wells and completed critical ongoing projects without massive capital investment. By doubling gas production, we have more than tripled electricity generation in the east,” he said.
Igiehon said the company now supplies about 100 million scf of gas daily into the domestic eastern market after meeting its internal needs.
“The impact is catalytic. All the power plants are at full capacity. People in Eastern Nigeria see the difference every day. It’s changing lives for homes, businesses, small enterprises and large businesses alike,” he emphasised.
Heirs Energies produces gas exclusively for the domestic market, exporting none. The company is the largest gross producer into the Trans-Niger Pipeline and the largest gas supplier to eastern Nigeria.
“We proudly say, and we are open to challenge, that we are the Brownfield Champions of Africa. We have proven it. The record is there,” he boasted.
Looking ahead, the CEO said the revival of dead wells at OML 17 is only the starting point for the company’s broader gas ambitions.
“OML 17 is the start, not the end. We are on a mission to address Africa’s energy needs, starting with Nigeria,” he noted.
