The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has confirmed the successful completion of a new oil well discovery by Chevron Nigeria Limited at the Awodi-07 appraisal and exploration well, located in the shallow offshore western Niger Delta.

Chevron Nigeria Limited operates the asset under the NNPC Ltd/CNL Joint Venture arrangement.

According to NNPC Ltd, the Awodi-07 well was drilled as part of the Joint Venture’s ongoing efforts to further delineate, appraise, and unlock the hydrocarbon potential within its existing asset portfolio in the Niger Delta.

Drilling operations for the well commenced in late November 2025 and were successfully concluded in mid-December 2025.

In a press release signed by the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Andy Odeh, and dated January 26, 2026, the national oil company disclosed that all drilling and appraisal activities were executed safely, efficiently, and in strict compliance with approved operational guidelines and regulatory standards.

The statement noted that following the completion of drilling, comprehensive well testing, logging and data acquisition exercises were carried out to evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the reservoir.

“Following comprehensive testing, logging and data acquisition, the well was safely secured, bringing the drilling programme to a successful close,” the statement said.

NNPC Ltd revealed that results from the Awodi-07 well confirmed the presence of significant hydrocarbon volumes across multiple reservoir zones, describing the outcome as a positive development for the Joint Venture.

Commenting on the discovery, NNPC Ltd expressed optimism about the commercial prospects of the well and reaffirmed its commitment to working closely with Chevron Nigeria Limited to advance the project.

“We look forward to working closely with Chevron Nigeria Limited to mature this opportunity and progress it towards timely development and monetisation,” the company stated.

The release further explained that NNPC Limited and Chevron Nigeria Limited operate under a long-standing joint venture agreement covering several oil and gas assets in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

Under the joint venture structure, Chevron Nigeria Limited holds a 40 per cent participating interest, while NNPC Ltd owns the remaining 60 per cent stake. The partnership is designed to leverage the technical expertise, operational experience, and investment capacity of both parties to sustainably develop Nigeria’s oil and gas resources.

According to NNPC Ltd, the Joint Venture has set a production target of approximately 146,000 barrels of oil per day, to boost government revenue, supporting job creation, strengthening national energy security and contributing to Nigeria’s overall economic growth.

The successful drilling of the Awodi-07 well is expected to further enhance the Joint Venture’s resource base and support ongoing efforts to increase crude oil output from the Niger Delta, in line with the Federal Government’s broader energy and economic development goals.