Yemisi Izuora
Oil major Chevron says its operations in Nigeria is experiencing a vista of growth under an articulated perspective that will sweep through onshore operations to its advanced deepwater drilling campaign.
Chairman and Managing Director, Chevron companies in Nigeria, Jim Swartz, said the company has in Nigeria embarked on a journey to improve and grow its business, which is referred to as the “North Star”, a strategy that aims to Improve Base Business, Grow Production and Monetize Gas Resources.
He emphasized that Chevron continues to differentiate itself as the only international oil company (IOC), that maintains its operations in Onshore, Shallow Water and Deepwater assets and one of the first to convert all its joint venture and Agbami leases under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) enabling further exploration and development.
Swartz, however advocated for a balanced and pragmatic approach to the future of energy in Nigeria in order to meet growing energy demand, ensure availability of affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy, while advancing the lower carbon future.
He gave the indication on Wednesday July 2, 2025, while speaking at a strategic panel session on speaking in a panel session on “Pragmatically Achieving Energy Abundance” at the 2025 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week in Abuja.
Emphasizing the need for a more pragmatic conversation about energy; one that balances economic prosperity, energy security and environmental protection, he reaffirms Chevron’s belief that oil and gas will remain a viable component of the energy mix for the foreseeable future, and that the future of energy is lower carbon.
Chevron, he continued leverages its strengths to safely deliver lower carbon energy to a growing world while adapting to changes, continuously improving its processes and building resilience to remain competitive while ensuring profitability.
“Our recent efforts to position ourselves for a new phase of growth include recent farm-in into OPL 215 to boost deepwater development opportunities, signing of 20-year renewal of 3 deepwater leases, completion of seismic data acquisition in our deepwater leases, the ongoing shallow water infill drilling program utilizing 2 rig, drilling of exploration wells and fast-tracking production from our Meji NW discovery,” he stated.
He also emphasised the role of technology in increasing operational efficiency and decision-making noting that technology plays a crucial role in driving energy development in the form of digital transformation, renewable energy, smart grid technology, supply chain optimization, and environmental monitoring.
While appreciating the Federal Government of Nigeria for pursuing reforms in the oil and gas sector, Jim urged more collaboration among the government, the private sector and other stakeholders to improve the industry’s competitiveness. “Chevron takes a long view of Nigeria, and we look forward to being a part of Nigeria’s prosperous future,” he stated.