Known as Edd block, the acreage is south of and adjacent to Anadarko's Zula block-a 6.7 million acre area (OGJ, Oct. 9, 1995, p. 39).
Anadarko completed a 16,000-km high-density aerial gravity and magnetic survey of Zula in 1996. And, early this year, the company finished a 5,000-km seismic program on the Zula block.
Analysis of the new data and review of the existing data revealed exploration potential on the Edd block.
Subsalt potential
Much of the exploration area in both blocks contains structures associated with salt, says parent company Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Houston. Salt sheets similar to those in the Gulf of Mexico are possible, enabling Anadarko to draw on its Gulf of Mexico subsalt experience."The technology required to image beneath salt sheets, and the drilling techniques used in the Gulf of Mexico will also be applied in (the Zula) exploration venture," said Anadarko.
Anadarko will invest $23 million for Edd exploration in the next 51/2 years, in addition to the $28.5 million it has committed for Zula exploration. Exploratory drilling on both blocks will begin in the first quarter of next year.
Two wells are planned on Zula and one on Edd. All three should be completed next year, says Anadarko. A letter of intent has been signed with Santa Fe International for a jack up.
Anadarko was the first company to sign an exploration agreement with Eritrea following its independence from Ethiopia in 1993.
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