29 December 2014, Lagos – United Kingdom-listed, Africa-focused Afren Plc, operator of Block 1101 onshore Madagascar, has announced the completion of its drilling operations and the discovery of oil in two boreholes drilled on the block.
According to an update by the company, a total of four strategic locations on Block 1101, which measures some 11,200 square kilometres (2.8 million acres), were successfully drilled and cored to an aggregate depth of 2,000 metres (6,500 feet) with approximately 1,760m (5,720ft) of core samples recovered.
Drilling at each of the locations successfully completed the respective technical objectives to assess specific aspects of the Block’s petroleum systems.
Two core holes were drilled to depths of 650m (2,112ft) and 500m (1,625ft) adjacent to the 1902 coal borehole (Ankaramy-1) which had reportedly encountered “hydrocarbon shows”. Cores recovered from both locations indicated the presence of hydrocarbons and potentially good reservoir quality over multiple zones.
Early indications provide further evidence of at least three different source rocks working across the Block in Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous zones.
Further detailed analysis of the cores will be undertaken in the first quarter of 2015 to confirm the nature and extent of the hydrocarbons.
Interim Chief Executive Officer of Afren, Mr. Toby Hayward said his company would work with its partner to determine the nature and extent of the discovery.
“We have made good progress on Block 1101 with encouraging results indicating the presence of oil over several zones. This underscores the high quality of our East African portfolio and we look forward to working with our partner (Oyster Oil and Gas Limited) to determine the nature and extent of the discover,” he said.
Afren had indicated that the installation of the decks and bridge at Nigeria’s Okwok oil field would be completed in early January 2015 once the wellhead jacket was installed.
In an update on its operations at Ebok, Okwok and OML 115, all located offshore Nigeria, the company further stated that after the installations, the partners would commence the hook up and commissioning of the Ebok Central Fault Block Extension (CFBx) platform.
The company also said that following a favourable weather window, Afren and its partner, Oriental Energy Resources Limited (Oriental), are pleased to announce that the jacket for the Ebok Central Fault Block Extension (CFBx) platform has now been installed.
According to Afren, the work programme at the CFBx will include up to nine new wells to be drilled and brought on-stream by the end of 2015 targeting both producing and undeveloped reservoirs.
“Elsewhere, at the North Fault Block (NFB), the partners continue to make good progress and are targeting completion of the third new producer by mid-December 2014. The forward programme at the NFB will incorporate up to an additional 5 wells by year-end 2015. The company remains on-track to deliver full year net production at the lower end of guidance between 32,000 to 36,000 bopd (excluding Barda Rash),” Afren said.
Afren and its partner, Oriental have also spudded the Ameena East well located on OML 115, offshore Nigeria.
– This Day
