Tullow Oil has revealed its plans for the rest of the year to drill offshore Suriname, and resuming at the Tweneboa, Enyenra, Ntomme (TEN) fields offshore Ghana.
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Image from Tullow Oil. |
In the company’s half year 2017 report, Tullow confirmed that preparations are on track to drill the high-impact Araku-1 well off Suriname in Q4 2017.
“We are looking for low-cost, light oil in geologies and geographies that we know well in Africa and South America. The Araku-1 wildcat in Suriname is on track to commence in the Q4 and, by the end of 2017, we will have completed six seismic surveys at low cost,” says Ian Cloke, Tullow executive VP for New Ventures. “We are therefore in an excellent position as we decide what and where to drill in 2018 and beyond, with substantial prospects in Guyana, Suriname, Mauritania and Namibia all under evaluation.”
The Araku prospect is in Block 54 and is a large structural trap, which has a resource potential estimated at over 500 MMbbl. It has been significantly de-risked by an excellent quality 3D seismic survey acquired in 2015. Tullow has hired the Noble Bob Douglas to drill the well, and expects Araku-1 to cost US$14 million net to drill.
In Block 45 offshore Suriname, Tullow has farmed down 20% of its stake to Ratio Exploration.
Tullow is also looking at the Kanuku license following a 4000sq km 3D seismic survey in May.
Kanuku is directly up-dip of the Liza discovery, offshore Guyana. Results from the survey will be used to define potential prospects for drilling in 2018/19. Earlier this month, Tullow also began a 2500sq km 3D survey over the adjacent and contiguous Orinduik licence, also up-dip of the Liza-1 discovery.
At the TEN fields, Tullow says that along with its joint venture partners, a rig tender process is underway that would see the resumption of drilling of the remaining wells around the end of the year, subject to the outcome of the ITLOS (International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea) decision on the maritime boundary between Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The restrictions imposed by ITLOS have restricted drilling activity.
Tullow is anticipating that the completion of these wells should allow the TEN fields to increase daily production to the FPSO design capacity of 80,000 b/d.
During 1H 2017, the TEN fields performed in line with expectations, averaging 48,000 b/d (net: 22,500 b/d) with full year gross production guidance unchanged at 50,000 b/d (net: 23,600 b/d).
In June 2017, a final commissioning capacity test and facility blowdown was completed demonstrating that the FPSO can operate at its design capacity of 80,000 b/d and at higher rates as indicated by a recent 24- hour test conducted at 100,000 b/d. The testing however identified an issue with the FPSO’s flaring system which has been addressed but required a 10-day shutdown of the facility, says Tullow. Final commissioning is expected to be completed in 2H 2017.
“With TEN currently producing in excess of 50,000 b/d from existing well stock and plans in place for stabilizing the turret on the Jubilee FPSO, I am confident that we are well placed to have an equally strong second half. Our focus is on growing production as we put the technical issues on the Jubilee FPSO behind us, get back to drilling on TEN post-ITLOS and progress the GJFFD Plan,” says Gary Thompson, executive VP for West Africa.
For the Jubilee turret remediation project, Tullow says that the JV partners and the government of Ghana have agreed on the need to stabilize the turret bearing.
“A shutdown of between five and eight weeks is planned for late 2017 with work continuing to further reduce the length of this shutdown. Planning for the rotation of the vessel to its optimum heading and the installation of a deepwater offloading system is ongoing and it is anticipated that this work will be executed in two stages in 2018 and 2019. The total shutdown duration for stabilization, rotation and offloading system installation is not expected to exceed 12 weeks,” says Tullow.
Offshore Mauritania, a 600sq km 3D survey in Block C18 was completed in 1H, and a further 3D survey in Block C3 to cover new shallow water plays will begin in September 2017.
In Zambia, a 20,000sq km full tensor gradiometry gravity survey to cover three frontier Tertiary age rift basins has been awarded and will begin in August 2017.
In Namibia, Tullow has agreed to farm down a 30% interest in the PEL-37 license to ONGC Videsh. This farm-down is subject to government approvals.
Read more:
Tullow targets 2H Suriname Araku probe
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