Petroleum Africa
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Monday, May 11, 2009
According to Anadarko’s Q1 report, the company’s portfolio performed extremely well. Anadarko saw sales volumes above guidance at 54 million BOE driven by higher volumes in the US Rockies (6% growth quarter-over-quarter), strong performance on Independence Hub, timing of liftings in Algeria, and improved frac spreads resulting in additional NGL recovery in multiple areas.
In Algeria during the quarter, the company saw a gross oil production from the Hassi Berkine South and the Ourhoud Central Processing Facilities of 411,700 bpd, down slightly over Q4 2008 totals due to continued OPEC production curtailments. The Ourhoud field reached a production milestone surpassing 500 million barrels of cumulative oil production. Contracts for the El Merk project were awarded in March and contractors are currently mobilizing their teams. Development drilling recommenced in Q2.
The company and its partners in Ghana submitted the Plan of Development and Unitization Agreement to the Ghanaian government during the quarter. On the drilling end, the Eirik Raude is currently drilling the J2 development well and the Blackford Dolphin has successfully sidetracked the J4 well. Anadarko said that a pressure gauge was installed in the J4 ST1 to monitor pressure response during Mahogany-1 (J9) drillstem test that is currently ongoing.
Also during the period the partners drilled the new field wildcat well, the Tweneboa-1, on the Deepwater Tano license. Located approximately 16 miles west of the Jubilee Field, the Tweneboa-1 was drilled to a total depth of approximately 13,000 ft. Approximately 70 ft of net pay was encountered in this large Cretaceous fan complex. The well was positioned to target multiple objectives, including the edge of the Turonian fan where the pay was encountered.
Anadarko said that additional appraisal work is planned in the H2 2009 on the Jubilee fan complex and that at least one of the wells will appraise the deeper pay zone encountered in the Mahogany-3 exploration/appraisal well drilled in late 2008. Additional exploration prospects are also scheduled for drilling in 2009 including Teak, Owo, and Onyina.
On its Liberian assets Anadarko reported that activity continues on the acquisition of a 6,000 sq km 3D seismic survey, the largest in the company’s history, on blocks 15, 16, and 17. Anadarko is the operator of the blocks with a 40% working interest. The 3D will be used to develop deepwater Cretaceous fan prospects in this frontier basin.
In Mozambique the company is currently acquiring 4,800 km of 2D seismic in offshore block Area 1. This data will cover portions of the shallow and deepwater outside of its 2008 deepwater 3D program, and fill in where only sparse vintage 2D data is currently available. The seismic will be used to finalize regional mapping and support the exploratory drilling campaign that is expected to begin in late 2009.
Anadarko officials told Mozambican journalists visiting the company’s headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas, that the geological data from the basin, both on and offshore, are very similar to those in other parts of the world where oil and natural gas has been found.
Carol Law, the Anadarko Exploration Project Manager for East Africa and the Caribbean, said the company has no intention of stopping its activities in the Rovuma basin until it concludes that there is no oil there. But to date the geological evidence points to hydrocarbon deposits.
The company is now preparing to send in heavy equipment to drill exploratory wells on land and offshore. This work will start in late 2009 or early 2010, and will be conclusive in determining whether a commercially viable oil field really does exist in the basin.
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