Supermajor BP has announced that its recent three-well drilling campaign offshore Mauritania and Senegal has further confirmed the gas resource in the region
Three wells drilled this year, GTA-1, Yakaar-2 and Orca-1, targeted a total of nine hydrocarbon-bearing zones. The wells encountered gas in high-quality reservoirs in all nine zones.
The wells were the first to be operated by BP in the region. All three of them were completed safely, on the budget and ahead of schedule. In total, the wells received 160 m of net pay, increasing confidence in the region's significant gas resources. The overall drilling campaign was completed 40 days ahead of schedule and US$30mn under budget.
Most recently, in November, the Orca-1 well in Block C8 offshore Mauritania had successfully encountered all five of the gas sands originally targeted. The well was further deepened to reach an additional target, which also encountered gas.
Howard Leach, BP’s head of exploration, said, “This is an exciting result as it proves that our seismic data is identifying hydrocarbon reservoirs deeper than we had previously thought. We have identified a large prospective area with considerable resource potential in Southern Mauritania. We will now conduct further appraisal drilling to help inform future development decisions."
The Greater Tortue Ahmeyim Phase 1 development was sanctioned in December 2018. The successful results of Yakaar-2 and Orca-1 could underpin future developments, including a possible new development in Yakaar-Teranga in Senegal and in the Bir Allah/Orca area in Southern Mauritania.
The timings of both potential future developments will depend on the level of appraisal required, supporting commercial development plans and integrated gas master plans in the host nations.
