Map showing location of the Opal-1A and Mairare wells, offshore Brazil.ExxonMobil lead the way in the latest push for pre-salt exploration offshore Brazil on the boundary of the Campos and Santos Basins with hydrocarbons encountered at Opal-1A (as reported to the National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP)).
ExxonMobil spudded the Opal-1 well (1-EMEB-1A-RJS) in the Campos Basin Block C-M-789 in January 2021 using the West Saturn drillship. The well, in 2,681m water depth, targeted the Opal prospect, a pre-salt Aptian clastic system with an estimated TD at around 6,000m. After drilling problems in the first quarter of 2021, Opal-1A was re-spud. Latest reports suggest an oil discovery for the supermajor and their partner Qatar Petroleum.
C-M-789 was awarded as part of the 15th PSC Bid Round in 2018, for a record signature bonus of US$848 million. ExxonMobil has received authorisation to drill up to five more wells.
Following work on Opal, the West Saturn has spud Titan-1, in the adjacent Tita Block, with follow-up prospects Espinela and Ametrina. The Opal drilling programme will be regarded as a good start to the 15th Round drilling campaign, with Shell, BP, Equinor, Repsol, Wintershall and Chevron all having well commitments in adjacent blocks, along with Petrobras. Petrobras and ExxonMobil have since spudded the Mairare well to the north of Opal in C-M-346 Block with the West Tellus rig.
This exploration update is brought to you in association with NVentures.
