A group led by Noble Energy Inc. has started up Aseng oil and gas-condensate field in the Douala basin east of Equatorial Guinea’s Bioko Island 13% under budget and 7 months ahead of the original schedule (OGJ Online, July 22, 2009).
Four subsea wells at Aseng on Block I are making 50,000 b/d into a floating production, storage and offloading vessel. The first lifting from the Aseng FPSO is expected in December.
Participating interests in Aseng are Noble Energy 38%, Atlas Petroleum 27.55%, Glencore Exploration 23.75%, PA Resources AB 5.7%, and Equatorial Guinea’s state GEPetrol 5%.
Production at the Alen project on Block O remains on schedule for start-up in late 2013 at 37,000 b/d.
Meanwhile, the company and its partners have made an oil discovery on Block O at the Carla prospect, which is estimated to contain 35-100 million bbl of oil equivalent gross resources, 80% liquids.
The Carla well, which went to 11,500 ft in 1,900 ft of water, encountered 26 net ft of oil pay in high-quality Upper Oligocene sands under Alen field. Noble Energy is Carla operator with 51% working interest.
A second exploratory well testing the Bwabe prospect on the sprawling Tilapia block off Cameroon reached total depth and did not find commercial hydrocarbons. Noble Energy has identified the Bouma prospect off Cameroon with a 95-400 million boe gross unrisked resource and 35% probability of geologic success.
Recent appraisal work at Diega, a 2008 discovery on Block O, has confirmed a gross resource range of 45-110 million boe, 60% liquids. Noble Energy anticipates developing Carla and Diega through Aseng or Alen facilities.
In development the area’s liquids resources, Noble Energy noted that the three blocks cover a combined 1.5 million underexplored acres and that the discovered fields have 4 tcf of gross gas resources remaining to be monetized.