The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has confirmed the successful completion of the Awodi-07 appraisal and exploration well in the western Niger Delta, marking a significant milestone for the country’s upstream oil sector.
The Awodi-07 well — drilled under the NNPC Ltd/Chevron Nigeria Limited Joint Venture — was spudded in late November 2025 and safely concluded by mid-December 2025. Comprehensive testing and data logging confirmed a significant presence of hydrocarbons across multiple reservoir zones, reinforcing the area’s prospectivity.
Reacting to the development, Group Chief Executive Officer Bashir Ojulari commended Chevron Nigeria for its technical performance and emphasised the discovery as a testament to effective collaboration, disciplined exploration practices and the continued implementation of reforms under the Petroleum Industry Act.
Ojulari said the outcome positively supports the joint venture’s strategic priorities of increasing crude output, enhancing national energy security and delivering sustainable value to Nigerians. Senior NNPC upstream officials described the results as promising and expressed optimism about progressing the discovery toward commercial development and production in due course.
Officials note that this discovery could help strengthen Nigeria’s oil reserves just as both partners work toward lifting production capacity to an estimated 146,000 barrels per day from associated assets within the joint venture framework.
