By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 20 -- Noble Energy Inc., Houston, gauged Equatorial Guinea's first hydrocarbon discovery in the Douala basin.
The O-1 well in 250 ft of water 20 miles east of Bioko Island flowed 24 MMcfd of gas and 1,225 b/d of condensate from a Miocene formation. TD is 10,360 ft.
Equipment capacity limited the flow rate, and cooling and processing facilities would raise condensate yield, Noble Energy said.
The wellsite is in the Atlantic Ocean on the southeastern part of Block O, 85 km southeast of Alba gas-condensate field in the Niger Delta and a similar distance southwest of Douala, Cameroon.
The Douala basin is productive in Cameroon waters. This is Noble Energy's first well on Block O, drilled only once before.
A multiwell appraisal and exploration program could start in 2006 on 437,871-acre Block O, which wraps around the north and east sides of Bioko Island. More drilling is needed to determine the discovery's areal extent and commerciality, Noble Energy said.
Noble Energy is technical operator of Block O with 45% participating interest. State-owned GEPetrol holds 30%, and Glencore Exploration Ltd. of Switzerland has 25%.
Noble Energy also owns a 40% interest in Block I covering 199,167 acres south of Block O.
