04 April 2012, Sweetcrude, MAPUTO – US oil company, Anadarko, says it has hit gas in its Barquentine-4 appraisal well off Mozambique.
This came after the company drilled its ninth successful well in Offshore Area 1 of the Rovuma basin, in the country’s offshore.
The well was drilled in the northern section of the newly named Prosperidade complex in a water depth of about 1650 metres and encountered 525 net feet of natural gas pay.
Anadarko has previously estimated the Prosperidade complex, which includes the Windjammer, Barquentine, Lagosta and Camarao discoveries, to hold recoverable resources of between 17 trillion and 30 trillion cubic feet of gas.
Bob Daniels, Anadarko senior vice president of worldwide exploration, said: “Our appraisal drilling programme in the Prosperidade complex offshore Mozambique delivered outstanding results that provide significant confidence in the vast extent of this accumulation and will be key in achieving third-party reserve certification, as we advance the partnership’s world-class LNG (liquefied natural gas) project toward FID (final investment decision.
“Our next step is to mobilise the drillship to the northern section of our block to begin testing additional high-potential exploration prospects that may expand the resource even further and provide tieback opportunities for future LNG hub facilities.”
The drillship will be moved to the northern part of the Offshore Area 1 Block to top-set the Atum prospect after operations are wrapped up at Barquentine-4. After that, it will begin drilling the Golfinho prospect.
Anadarko operates Offshore Area 1 with a 35.6% working interest and is partnered by Mitsui E&P (20%), Bharat Petroleum (10%), Videocon (10%) and Cover Energy (8.5%). State-owned Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos holds the remaining 15% interest and is carried through the exploration phase.
