Italian oil and gas company Eni has made a new light oil discovery in Block 15/06, which is located in Angola’s deep offshore. Eni expects to start production from the well within six months through a fast-track tie-in to the Armada Olombendo FPSO.
Eni said in an update on Tuesday that the well has been drilled on the Cuica exploration prospect located inside the Cabaça Development Area and close to the Armada Olombendo FPSO (East Hub) pursuing the exploration opportunities in proximity of existing infrastructures (ILX, infrastructure-led exploration).
It resulted in an oil discovery with a size estimated between 200 and 250 million barrels of oil in place.
The Cuica-1 NFW has been drilled as a deviated well by the Libongos drillship in a water depth of 500 meters.
It reached a total vertical depth of 4100 meters, encountering an 80 meters total column of reservoir of light oil (38°API) in sandstones of Miocene age with good petrophysical properties.
The discovery well is going to be sidetracked updip to be placed in an optimal position as a producer well. The result of the intensive data collection indicates an expected production capacity of around 10,000 barrels of oil per day.
Cuica is the second significant oil discovery inside the existing Cabaça Development Area.
The wellhead location, intentionally placed close to East Hub’s subsea network, will allow a fast-track tie-in of the exploration well and relevant production, thus immediately creating value while extending the Armada Olombendo FPSO production plateau.
It is expected that production will start within six months after discovery, according to Eni.
Pursuant to the discoveries of Kalimba , Afoxé , Ndungu , Agidigbo , Agogo and appraisals achieved between 2018 and 2020, Cuica represents the first commercial discovery in Block 15/06 after the re-launch of the exploration campaign post-2020 COVID-19 pandemic and the drop of oil price.
Eni noted that the discovery confirms the exploration potential of the block. A three-year extension of the exploration period of Block 15/06 has been recently granted until November 2023.
The Block 15/06 Joint Venture is composed by Eni (operator, 36.8421 per cent), Sonangol P&P (36.8421 per cent), and SSI Fifteen Limited (26.3158 per cent).