Total announce significant gas-condensate discovery in the deepwater Outeniqua Basin, offshore South Africa.
In early February Total announced a significant gas-condensate discovery in the deepwater Outeniqua Basin, 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa. The Brulpadda well discovered 57m of net pay in Lower Cretaceous post-rift reservoirs, and drilling continued to find further reserves in the Brulpadda Deep prospect before reaching TD at 3,633m. The well is a play opener in this underexplored area, where several other prospects have been identified in a deep marine fan sandstone system within combined stratigraphic/structural traps. Potential for a multi-billion barrel resource has been suggested.
Brulpadda is in Block 11B/12B, which covers an area of 19,000 km2, with water depths ranging from 200 to 1,800m.
The prospects lie in the south-west corner of the block. Total initially tried to drill the well in 2014, but the attempt had to be abandoned due to harsh weather conditions, which will undoubtedly be an important issue to consider in development plans. The Odfjell Deepsea Stavanger semi-submersible rig re-entered the well, which is in 1,431m of water, in December 2018.
Following the success of Brulpadda and confirmation of the play potential, Total and its partners Qatar Petroleum (25%), CNR international (20%) and Main Street, a South African consortium (10%), plan to acquire 3D seismic this year, followed by up to four exploration wells on the licence.
Further Reading on Oil and Gas in South Africa
Some recommended GEO ExPro reading relating to, or similar in content to, oil and gas exploration and petroleum geology in South Africa and Africa.
Côte d’Ivoire: Undiscovered Opportunities and New Data in Open Blocks
Christine Roche, Project Geoscientist; PGS
PGS modern broadband seismic coverage of Côte d’Ivoire now provides complete coverage of the area from source to sink.
This article appeared in October, 2018
Future Success for Oil and Gas in Africa
Siva Prasad, Senior Analyst; Rystad Energy
Africa is struggling to convert discoveries into producing fields however further hydrocarbon discoveries will shape the future success for oil and gas production in Africa.
This article appeared in Vol. 15, No. 5 – 2018
Spectacular Swartberg
Jane Whaley
The Swartberg Mountains in the Western Cape province of South Africa are considered to be one of the finest exposed fold mountain chains in the world. Two dramatic passes afford the geologist unparalleled views of Paleozoic quarzitic sandstones folded spectacular fashion.
This article appeared in Vol. 13, No. 3 – 2016
