Galp Energia will plug and abandon its Tao-1 exploration well in the Tarfaya block offshore Morocco after encountering unfavorable reservoir quality in the Trident objective, partner Tangiers Petroleum announced on 4 August 2014.
The news comes only one week after the Tafaya block partners announced the well failed to find hydrocarbon shows at the secondary, Assaka, objective in the upper Jurassic carbonates. Australian-based Tangiers Petroleum, which holds 25% interest in the Tarfaya block, said the Tao-1 well was drilled to 3518m total depth, and was designed to test the Trident objective in the middle Jurassic carbonates.
The Tao-1 exploration well spud on the 26 June by Rowan’s Ralph Coffman jackup rig.
"The exploration results from TAO-1 will be integrated into the regional basin analysis by Tangiers and its co-venture partners to further evaluate and assess the prospectivity of the Tarfaya Offshore Blocks I – VIII," Tangiers Petrolem said.
The Tarfaya offshore block is in the Moroccan Atlantic margin and sits at approximately 200m water depth. The block is adjacent to Esso’s Cap Juby heavy oil discovery in Upper Jurassic carbonates. Tangiers Petroleum said that light oil had been previously encountered on the Cap Juby structure in middle Jurassic carbonates.
The Tarfaya block comprises eight contiguous permits covering an area of 11,281sq km. The block is located 600km southwest of Morocco’s capital, Rabat.
Galp Energia operates the Tarfaya block with 50% interest. Its partners include Tangiers Petroleum and Morocco’s national office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) (25%). Galp joined the block in 2012, following a farm-in agreement with Tangiers that required the Portuguese explorer to spend US$40.5 million, which includes a carry on the exploration well capped at $33 million and reimbursement of US$7.5 million for past costs.
Image: Tarfaya map from Tangiers Petroleum
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