Equatorial Guinea gets gas-condensate find
By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 16 -- A group led by Noble Energy Inc., Houston, will continue exploring and appraising Blocks I and O in the Gulf of Guinea east of Equatorial Guinea's Bioko Island after the latest discovery expanded the company's estimate of the resource.
The latest well, I-4, is on Block I in 2,226 ft of water 7 miles southwest of Noble's Belinda discovery on Block O. I-4 flowed 28.9 MMcfd of gas and 1,634 b/d of condensate limited by test equipment capacity from a high-quality Miocene reservoir. It is the last in a six-well program since 2005, only one of which was dry.
The drilling, seismic calibration, and reservoir analysis confirms the area's resource range to be 60% greater than the original predrill estimate, and well results show that liquids make up 40% of the total resource with proper processing, Noble said.
The Sedco 700 drillship is to spud the next well, to verify the oil resources down dip at the Benita discovery on Block I, in late February.
Noble Energy is technical operator of Block I with 40% interest. Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. has 29%, Glencore Exploration Ltd. 25%, and Osborne Resources Ltd. 6%. State GEPetrol has a 5% carried interest once commerciality has been determined.