High flow rates reported from deepwater Pweza test offshore Tanzania

Offshore staff

READING, UK – The drillship Deepsea Metro-1 has completed a drillstem test on the Pweza gas field offshore southern Tanzania. According to operator BG Group, this concludes the block 4 appraisal program.

Initial results confirm the properties of the Tertiary section reservoir, including flow and connectivity, and BG Group’s understanding and modeling of the field’s geology.

The test flowed at a maximum, equipment-constrained rate of 57 MMcf/d (1.6 MMcm/d). Flow rates from development wells would be much higher.

Pweza is 70 km (43 mi) offshore in 1,400 m (4,593 ft) of water.

BG Group CEO Chris Finlayson said: “Our acreage in block 4 around thePweza, Chewa, and Ngisi discoveries is now fully appraised and tested, with resources in the order of 4 tcf [113 bcm] of natural gas. The work done demonstrates the excellent quality of these fields and that they can be developed as a northern production hub to feed a potential LNG export project.”

The company estimates total resources from its discoveries in blocks 1, 3, and 4 offshore Tanzania at around 13 tcf (368 bcm).

Deepsea Metro-1 now sails south to block 1 to drill an appraisal well on the Mzia discovery. BG and partner Ophir Energy are assessing 3D seismic data to plan targets for the next exploration campaign in 2014.

10/02/2013