Elf Confirms Significant Discoveries in OPL 222
By Mike Oduniyi
French oil giant Total has announced that its Nigerian Operating subsidiary, Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (EPNL), made a significant discovery in the area west of the Usan field in the deepwater Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 222, offshore south-eastern Nigeria.
"The Usan 5 well, located around 110 kilometres offshore and 6 kilometres west of the Usan 1 discovery well in water depths of approximately 750 meters, is the fifth successful well in the Usan field area." the company said in a press statement.
It said oil was sampled at Usan 5 in several levels confirming the presence of additional quantities of oil as well as further potential in previously untested reservoirs.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporatin (NNPC) is concessionaire for OPL 222 under a production sharing contract operated by Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (20 percent), in partnership with Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (30 percent), Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Ltd. (30 percent) and Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (20 percent).
Present in Nigeria since 1962, Total's equity production was 196,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2003. The group also has a 15% partnership interest in the Bonny liquefaction plant, where trains four and five are presently under construction and the construction of a sixth has been approved.
Meanwhile, Shell Gabon and its co-venturer Pan-Ocean Energy Corporation Limited announced 7 September a light oil discovery in the exploration well AWokou-1.
"Further data analysis indicates a 29 meter oil column in the Gamba sandstone with no gas cap in the drilled formation," Shell said in a statement made available in Lagos.
Shell Gabon S.A. and PanOcean, equal partners in the Koula discovery on the Awokou concession, feel now encouraged to consider further appraisal and development activities.
The well is located on the Koula prospect in the Awoun Permit situated eight kilometres to the north of the Total/Shell producing Avocette field and five kilometres to the northwest of the PanOcean's producing Obangue field onshore Gabon, West Africa.
Shell, the operator, and PanOcean each have a 50% interest in the well prior to the government 20% back-in.
The Awokou-1 exploration well was successfully drilled and logged with the Simpler 101 rig to a total depth of 1,926 meters. Based on the data collected thus far, the Awokou-1 well has come in close to prognosis and found oil in thick Gamba sandstone. Awokou-1 is the first well drilled as part of a two-well exploration campaign in the permit and is currently being suspended at the 9 5/8" casing. The second exploration well (Awodam-1) will be drilled in October 2004, some three kilometres to the southwest of the Awokou-1 discovery.
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