Eni makes major oil discovery offshore Angola

Eni SPA has made an oil discovery on Block 15/06 in the Ochigufu exploration prospect offshore Angola. It is the 10th commercial oil discovery for the block, and is estimated to hold 300 million bbl of oil in place.

The Ochigufu 1 NFW well was directionally drilled by the Ocean Rig Poseidon drilling unit in 1,337 m of water, reaching a total depth of 4,470 m. Eni says it found 47 m of proved net oil pay of 34° gravity in the Lower Miocene and Oligocene sandstones.

Data acquired in Ochigufu 1 indicate a production capacity of more than 5,000 b/d of oil. Studies are under way to evaluate an early tie-in to the 100,000-b/d Ngoma floating production, storage, and offloading vessel that lies in the nearby West Hub oil development project, which would enable Ochigufu 1 to be “brought into production in record time,” the company says.

Separately, production startup of the West Hub project is expected by yearend. The East Hub oil development project has also been sanctioned.

Eni is operator of the Block 15/06 with 35% interest. Partners are Sonangol P&P 30%, SSI Fifteen Ltd. 25%, Falcon Oil Holding Angola SA 5%, and Statoil Angola Block 15/06 5%. Eni also operates Block 35 in the deepwater Kwanza basin off Angola.