Staff Reporter
ABUJA, November 15 — French energy company TotalEnergies has initiated drilling on the first well at Akpo West in Nigeria. The well will be linked to the Akpo Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) unit, currently extracting oil from the Akpo field.
This drilling initiative is a key component of a broader strategy to amplify production from OML 130, encompassing both the Akpo and Egina fields. Partners in OML 130 have successfully completed three infill wells on Egina in the current year and plan to drill nine additional wells on Akpo and Egina in 2023 and 2024.
Anticipated to counterbalance production declines from existing wells on Akpo and Egina, TotalEnergies foresees the Akpo West well commencing production by the end of 2023.
Beyond the drilling efforts, OML 130 partners are actively involved in the Preowei discovery, positioned north of Egina. They have committed to commencing front-end engineering and design (FEED) work on Preowei in the fourth quarter of 2023, with potential for a final investment decision (FID) in subsequent stages.
Furthermore, seismic acquisition over OML 130, covering Akpo, Egina, Agbami, and Preowei, is planned to commence in late 2023. This seismic program aims to provide valuable data for additional drilling plans in OML 127 and 130.
Africa Oil, holding an effective 6.2% stake in PEL 56 offshore Namibia, the location of the Venus discovery, has highlighted appraisal and exploration at the block as significant catalysts for the remainder of 2023. The focus includes eagerly awaited flow test results from the Venus-1A appraisal well and the Mangetti-1X exploration well, currently under examination by the Deepsea Mira.
Africa Oil’s stake in the license is through its 31.1% ownership in Impact Oil and Gas. To support its activities in Namibia, including 3D seismic on the southern part of the block, Impact raised $40 million through a private placement in late October.
