03 March 2014, Dar es Salaam – UK-based oil and gas firm, Afrem International will in April begin exploring for natural gas in the Tanga Region, bordering Kenya.
Afrem which acquired 74% interest in the Tanga Block, located offshore and onshore northeast Tanzania had not started exploration since announcing the acquisition of the block in 2011.
This has caused complaints from the residents of Mkinga and Tanga Districts who were relocated to pave way for the project to start. But the Tanga Regional Commissioner, Chiku Galawa said exploration was initially scheduled to start last month (January), but was delayed to give more time for the firm to make adequate logistical arrangements.
“Please understand that the oil and gas exploration is a capital intensive undertaking that needs plenty of money, facilities and expertise, ” she said last week.
According to the website of the oil and gas firm, some recent discoveries in Tanzania include Pweza-1 (gas) and Chewa-1 well (gas). And its currently gas fields in the country, include Killiwani north 1 which has 40mmcfd, Mkuranga 1 with 19.2mmcfd, Songo Songo with capacity of 1+tcf and its condensate in wells # 1, 3, 7, 9 and ss10.
On March 24, 2011, Afren announced that it has acquired a 74% operated working interest in the Tanga Block, located offshore Tanzania, from Petrodel who will retain a 26% interest in the block.
The Tanga Block which is located offshore and onshore north-east Tanzania lies south of, and is contiguous with, Afren’s 100% owned and operated Blocks L17 and L18 in Kenya. It contains a southerly extension of the same coastal high and basin trough plays allowing us to leverage our regional expertise and knowledge.
Interpretation of previously acquired 900 km 2D seismic data reinforced the Partners’ views that the prospectivity in the deeper water parts of the acreage represents a potentially lower geological risk exploration opportunity.
The Tanga block is well located in that it lies across a deep basin with a very thick sedimentary section that has the potential of hosting several source rock intervals and multiple reservoir/seal pairings.
– East African Business Week