Total begins production at Angola’s Kaombo oil and gas project

Created: Wednesday, 01 August 2018 06:48

The move is in line with Angola’s initiative to develop the country’s oil and gas sector. (Image source: Gary Bembridge/Flickr)French oil and gas giant Total has started up production of Kaombo, currently the biggest deep offshore development in Angola, located on Block 32, 260km off the coast of Luanda

Kaombo Norte, the first floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit, has been successfully brought on stream and will produce an estimated 115,000 bopd, while the second one, Kaombo Sul, is expected to start up next year.

Southern Africa’s country’s latest oil and gas project is set to account for 15 per cent of the country’s oil production, thus demonstrating Total’s long-term commitment to help develop the oil and gas industry in the country.

The overall production will reach an estimated 230,000 bopd at peak and the associated gas will be exported to the Angola LNG plant. A total of 59 wells will be connected to the two FPSOs, both of which are converted very large crude carriers, through one of the world’s largest subsea networks. Together, they are expected to develop the resources of six different fields (Gengibre, Gindungo, Caril, Canela, Mostarda and Louro) over an area of 800 sq km in the central and southern part of the block.

“The Kaombo startup is a great milestone for Total. Developing the estimated 650 mmbbl of reserves will contribute to the Group’s growing production and cashflow in Africa,” stated Arnaud Breuillac, president for exploration and production at Total.

Total operates Block 32 with a 30 per cent participating interest, along with Sonangol P&P (30 per cent), Sonangol Sinopec International 32 Limited (20 per cent), Esso Exploration & Production Angola (Overseas) Limited (15 per cent) and Galp Energia Overseas Block 32 BV (five per cent).