BG finds hydrocarbons with Pweza-1 well off Tanzania
BG Group said its Pweza-1 exploration well, drilled 85 km off Tanzania on Block 4, has demonstrated the presence of “a working hydrocarbon system” after encountering gas-bearing sands.
Eric Watkins
OGJ Oil Diplomacy Editor
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 22 -- BG Group said its Pweza-1 exploration well, drilled 85 km off Tanzania on Block 4, has demonstrated the presence of “a working hydrocarbon system” after encountering gas-bearing sands.
BG took a 60% stake in Block 4 with Australia's Ophir Energy in May this year. As part of the agreement, BG took additional stakes in Blocks 1 and 3. The blocks cover more than 27,000 sq km of the Mafia Deep Offshore basin and northern portion of the Rovuma basin.
Pweza-1 is the first of a three-well initial work program planned for Blocks 1, 3, and 4. The program also includes the acquisition of 4,000 sq km of 3D seismic data. BG Group has the option to assume operatorship of all three Blocks upon completion of the initial work program.
Earlier this week, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said its Barquentine exploration well in Offshore Area 1 of Mozambique's section of the Rovuma basin encountered a total of more than 416 net ft of natural gas pay in multiple high-quality sands—its second find since August (OGJ Online, Oct. 19, 2010).
BG and Anadarko are two of several international oil companies with interests in the region. In late March, ExxonMobil Corp. acquired a 35% stake in the Tanzanian deep-water Block 2 operated by Norway’s Statoil. Other IOCs present in Tanzania include Aminex PLC, Tullow Oil PLC, and Dominion Petroleum Ltd.
Contact Eric Watkins at hippalus@yahoo.com.