By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Aug. 8 -- China National Petroleum Corp.'s affiliate in Niger will hold a technical meeting in the fourth quarter to review seismic data and choose drillsites for the 17.3 million acre Tenere Block in the Termit-Tenere rift basin.
The work commitment calls for the drilling of three wells before 2008 (OGJ Online, Feb. 10, 2005).
CNPC International (Tenere) Ltd., with 80% interest, and TG World Energy Corp., Calgary, with a 20% carried interest, reported satisfaction with the quality of 1,687 line-km of seismic data.
CNPC, now processing the data in a purpose-built center in Niamey, shot the survey during Jan. 11-June 18, 2005, despite unseasonably severe heat in the Tenere desert. TG World has independently processed certain data in Calgary for purposes of comparison and control.
Most of the acquired data were prospect or lead-specific. Before forming the partnership with CNPC, TG World had mapped 35 closed structures, of which 10 had container size in excess of 500 million bbl of recoverable oil.
Petronas of Malaysia and an ExxonMobil Corp. unit have discovered an estimated 350 million bbl of oil equivalent on the contiguous Agadem Block to the south.
Meanwhile, Sonatrach International Petroleum Exploration & Production Corp. signed an exploration concession in June for the 23,700 sq km Kafra Block north of Tenere. The subsidiary of Algeria's national oil firm committed to acquire 1,000 line-km of seismic data in the contract's first 4-year period.
