Sonangol EP will drill to further develop Impala and Pacassa fields in Block 3/05 offshore Angola, said partner Afentra plc in a release Oct. 12.

The joint venture has agreed to move the Borr Grid drilling rig to Impala-2.

Upon completion of this well, the rig will return to drill and complete the Pacassa SW sidetrack, the company said.

The revised sequence is designed to optimize the drilling schedule and rig utilization, allowing Impala-2 to progress while final preparations and equipment mobilization for the Pacassa SW sidetrack are completed.

Impala-2 is expected to spud in mid-October, with drilling and completion operations anticipated to take about 80 days.

Completion of the well is targeted for the end of December, with first oil expected in January 2027 at an initial gross production rate of about 4,000 bo/d.

Reservoir pressure and productivity data obtained during the successful Impala-1 intervention, which restarted production from this well, have been incorporated into the final well planning, supporting the next phase in the re-development of Impala field.

A material incremental resource upgrade for the field is anticipated following the completion of Impala-2, according to Afentra.

Pacassa SW delivered a successful oil discovery, encountering 136 m of net oil pay. The well will be sidetracked due to operational problems restricting access to the wellbore.

Given the ongoing planning and procurement for the sidetrack, the rig schedule has been revised. Following completion of the Impala-2 well, the rig will return to Pacassa SW to sidetrack and complete the well.

First oil from Pacassa SW is now expected in first-quarter 2027 following connection to the existing Pacassa production infrastructure.

Remapping of the Pacassa SW discovery is ongoing, incorporating the discovery well results. Afentra said it expects this work to confirm major incremental oil resources of up to about 70 MMbo as predicted ahead of drilling the well.

The updated oil in place and resource ranges will be released when this work is completed, according to the company.

Sonangol is operator of Block 3/05 (36%) with partners Afrenta (30%), M&P (30%), ETU Energies (10%) and NIS Naftagas (4%).