Angola: Area A water injection platform ready
Chevron has successfully installed an 8,000-ton integrated deck for the Kungulo water injection platform (KWIP) in Area A of the shallow offshore Angola Block 0 concession. The single-piece deck was lifted by a heavy-lift vessel brought in from the North Sea. The deck is the main component of the Area A Waterflood Project and will provide up to 390,000 b/d of water for injection into the Kungulo, Vuko, and Malongo North reservoirs for secondary recovery purposes.
Initial estimates of secondary recovery potential associated with the Area A Waterflood project is in excess of 130 million bbl. The KWIP platform also provides an additional 120 MMcf/d of gas compression capacity and is an integral part of the gas utilization initiative in Area A. Chevron is the operator for Block 0 and holds 39.2% interest. Block 0 partners include Sonangol with 41%, Elf 10%, and Agip 9.8%.
TotalFina upbeat about Nigerian deepwater well
Preliminary results indicate that Akpo-1 has encountered hydrocarbons in three undisclosed intervals. The well is being drilled by TotalFina in deepwater block OPL 246 off Nigeria. Total Upstream is upbeat about the well but won't disclose details. The PTD is 13,780 ft. The last casing was run at 13,100 ft MD, but sources indicate the well might be deepened. Akpo-1 is located on a four-way closure in the east central part of OPL 246, which is held by South Atlantic Petroleum. Total Upstream is the technical partner. Akpo-1 is in water depth of 4,511 ft.
Elf commences Girassol development
Elf will commence development drilling on the Girassol Field in deepwater off Angola in April 2000. The company will use Pride Africa drillship, the rig which the company had used to drill Jacinto-1, recently suspended on the same lease. Elf discovered Girassol in April 1996, in a location 1,365 meters of water in Block 17. It tested 2,800 b/d of oil on a reduced choke. Today, with two more wells on the structure, the recoverable reserves are reportedly in excess of 700 million bbl. The plan was to put it on production as soon as possible, by 2000 for example. However, the crash in oil prices and geological complexity slowed down the project. Girassol is a $2.5 billion project, expected to come onstream in 2001. Twenty-three producing wells are planned, with production at 200,000 b/d.
Nigeria deepwater bidding underway
After six months of intense speculation, Nigeria, on March 1, 2000, opened its second competitive bidding round in 60 years of oil exploration. The government published a one page advertisement in the major daily publications calling for bidding in 11 ultra-deepwater, seven continental shelf leases, and four onshore blocks. The bidding will end on the 30th of June.
The new Equatorial Guinea PSCs awarded to Atlas International Petroleum of Nigeria.
The Nigerian deepwater, wherein lies half of the number of leases on offer, is one of the hottest exploration zones in the world. At 1.2 billion bbl, Nigeria's deepwater was second in the global league table in terms of increase in oil resources through new discoveries, in 1998, the latest date for which figures are available. Among the blocks on offer are several that were first awarded under military rulers to companies linked to retired and serving generals and subsequently revoked by President Olusegun Obasanjo when he took office last May.
The government projects with active exploration of the leases on offer, "current reserves will be potentially doubled with attendant substantial increase in production capacity," the statement said. OPEC member Nigeria currently produces about 2 million b/d of oil onshore and in the shallow waters off the Niger Delta, with proven reserves of up to 22 billion bbl.
The President's adviser on Petroleum, Rilwanu Lukman said last month that production volume could be expanded to 5 million b/d in 10 years time. Of the new leases on the block, Oil Prospecting Licenses (OPLs) 242, 243, 244 and 249 were first awarded last year. All lie in deep offshore waters, at depths of 1,000-2,000 meters.
Consolidated having problems in Temi
Consolidated has sidetracked the Temi-1 (OPL 458), in 180 meters of water offshore Nigeria. They had encountered pressure problems at a depth of about 11,800 ft MD, which is within the primary objective. Before reaching 11,800 ft, the operator encountered two gas levels and had taken a gas kick. Consolidated is aiming for oil in the 11,600-12,200 ft MD interval, where a large untested updip fault closure is clearly seen on seismic data.
Equatorial Guinea ratifies deepwater PSCs
Equatorial Guinea's Govern ment has ratified agreements for three PSCs involving five blocks with a Nigerian company Atlas International Petroleum. The awards are the first to be made under the terms of the deepwater round which closed last August. The first PSC includes blocks H15 and H16 totaling 1,350 sq km in the southern Douala Basin. There water depth there is 200-2,000 meters.
The second PSC was signed on Block D15, about 780 sq km east of Bioko in the Douala Basin. The water depth range is 200-1,250 meters. The third contract is nearer Nigeria; it covers blocks D11 and D12, both spread out on 1,280 sq km west-southwest of Bioko in the Niger Delta. The water depth is 1,300 meters.
