TOTAL has discovered oil on block 17/06 in the deepwater sector of the Atlantic offshore Angola.
The French petroleum group said that exploration well Gardenia-1 was the first well to be drilled on block 17/06 and the first discovery made on that licence.
It was drilled in a water depth of 977m (3,200ft), starting in December 2008.
The well encountered hydrocarbon reservoirs, both in the Miocene and the Oligocene, and from the Miocene interval, the well has produced 4,000 barrels per day of 25-degree API (moderately heavy) oil during tests.
Total said this initial discovery in the north-western part of block 17/06 confirmed the potential of this portion of the licence area.
The company intends to carry out further drilling on the block to delineate the discovery and expand the exploration of the area, starting during the current quarter.