Three New Oil Firms Enter Accra Block Offshore Ghana

Three New Oil Firms Enter Accra Block Offshore Ghana

Rialto Energy Limited it has received Ministerial and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) approval to acquire a 12.5% participating interest in the Offshore Accra Contract Area, Ghana, West Africa (the “Accra Block”).

The Company is acquiring its interest alongside fellow new entrants Ophir Ghana (Accra) Limited (“Ophir”, 20%) and Vitol Upstream (Accra) Limited (30%), joining existing partners Afex Oil (Ghana) Limited (20%) and Tap Oil (Ghana) Limited (“Tap”, 17.5%, current operator), together the “Contractor Group”. As part of the transaction, operatorship is transferring from Tap to Ophir.

Tap’s Managing Director/CEO, Troy Hayden said: “The farmout of Tap’s interest in Ghana has significantly reduced the risk associated with our high quity position in the Ghana exploration program. The Contractor Group has been considerably strengthened and Ophir has extensive regional  drilling experience and is ideally placed to assume operatorship of the acreage. A successful discovery in this high risk well would be transformational for Tap.”

The Accra Block contains a number of prospects, including Starfish, a large, deep-water prospect, which according to the current operator is analogous to the Jubilee discovery with unrisked prospective resources estimated to be in the range of half a billion barrels (431 mmbbls (P50); 665 mmbbls (PMean)). The prospect is recommended for drilling in 2013. Further details of the Accra Block are summarized below.

To complete the acquisition of its interest, Rialto is required to pay its 12.5% proportional share of past costs, which amounts to a net payment of around US$3 million, and provide a bank guarantee in respect of its participating interest share of the approved work program and budget for the current Exploration Period.

Overview of Accra Block

The Accra Block is located to the southeast of Accra, the capital of the Republic of Ghana, in water depths ranging from less than 50 metres to greater than 2,500 metres.

3D seismic was acquired over the deep-water portion of the Accra Block in 2011 and processing of this data was completed during the second quarter of 2012. Interpretation of this new seismic data, in conjunction with previously existing and reprocessed 3D has identified a number of prospects within the pre and post-rift Cretaceous section. Some of these prospects are a similar play type to the Jubilee discovery, which is located in the adjacent and analogous basin which also forms part of the West African Transform Margin. The combined un-risked P50 prospective resource of the prospects within the pre and post-rift Cretaceous section has been assessed by the current operator of the Accra Block to be greater than three billion barrels.

Accra Block Commitments

The Initial Exploration Period expires on 23 September 2013, with the requirement that an exploration well be drilled by this time. Rialto’s net share of the 2013 exploration well cost is estimated to be around US$10 million.

The other commitments associated with the Initial Exploration Period, including acquisition of 2D seismic, have been satisfied. Additionally, the 3D survey acquired in the Initial Exploration Period has met the corresponding commitment in the First Extension Period.

Rialto Energy’s Interim CEO, Rob Shepherd, said the Company was pleased to obtain approval for its interest in the Accra Block and grow its West African exploration portfolio outside of Cote d’Ivoire.

“This is a high profile exploration area located in the vicinity of some major recent discoveries.

With 3D seismic acquired over the area in 2011 and a number of high profile leads identified, we now look forward to working closely with our new joint venture partners to progress the exploration program on this block.”

 

[mappress]
December 13, 2012