Mboundi field in Congo (Brazza-ville) has quickly become one of West Africa's largest onshore oil discoveries in the last 20 years, and it also contains a large volume of gas.
Discovered in 2001, the field lies about 25 km inland from Pointe Indienne on Congo's Atlantic Coast (Fig. 1).
Maurel & Prom, Paris, operates Mboundi with a 54% interest in the Kouilou Permit. Burren Energy PLC, London, has 35% interest, and Energy Africa Ltd., Cape Town, holds 11%.
Burren Energy recently revealed that gross proved and probable recoverable volumes at Mboundi have risen to 1.3 billion bbl in September from 885 million bbl in March 2004.
Production growing
At press time Mboundi was producing more than 30,000 b/d gross from about 20 wells. Six new wells were to be drilled by the end of 2004.
A production profile developed for Maurel & Prom by Beicip-Franlab, Paris, shows fieldwide output reaching above 70,000 b/d by the end of 2008. Further drilling and later application of waterflooding should boost the field peak to 72,000 b/d in 2009, and Maurel & Prom said the company's net share of production would still be 24,000 b/d in 2019 (Fig. 2).
As of October the companies were acquiring 2D and 3D seismic data and aeromagnetic data over the field and profiling the wells. The program calls for acquisition of 250 sq km of 3D data.
The companies plan to upgrade field facilities to handle 60,000 b/d of oil, double present capacity. Longer term plans call for construction of an oil pipeline.
Gas sales are begin by the end of 2005 to supply a power station being financed by a specialist partner.
Maurel & Prom said the 2005 program involves 18-20 development wells and 3 to 5 exploration wells. The production target for the end of 2005 is 35,000-40,000 b/d Eventual full field development looks to involve 90 producing wells and 45 injection wells.
Three of the field's most recent completions, 702, 106, and 901, had initial production rates of 2,000, 1,800, and 1,200 b/d, and extended the known volume of oil in place to the east and west.
Mboundi field produces 39.6° gravity oil from the Vandji sandstone of probable Lower Cretaceous age at 1,245-2,140 m.
Other properties
Maurel & Prom is also developing smaller Kouakouala-A field on the permit and spudded the first of two late-2004 development wells in late October.
Heritage Oil Corp., Calgary, with 25% interest, said Kouakouala's output has fallen to 900 b/d lately from three wells since the field went on line in May 2000. Heritage said the present work could include more development wells, workovers, and water injection.
Maurel & Prom also holds the Noumbi permit extending to the Gabon border and has an interest in the next block in Gabon.
