ExxonMobil has drilled a successful exploration well on Block 15, offshore Angola, according to local regulator Agência Nacional de Petróleo Gás e Biocombustíveis (ANPG).
The Bavuca Sul-1 is the 18th on the block. ANPG said it expected the find would be able to produce 40,000 barrels per day of oil. The last exploration success on the block was Bavuca, which the operator declared a success in 2004.
The Valaris DS-9 drillship carried out the work on the Bavuca Sul. It found 30 metres of high-quality sandstone, in about 1,100 metres of water. The drillship drilled the well 365 km northwest of Luanda.
“Angola continues, in fact, to have oil potential and ANPG and its partners will continue to do everything they can to make this a productive and profitable sector,” said ANPG head Paulino Jeronimo.
“ExxonMobil is leveraging this resource and creating value for the Angolan people, the government of Angola, our partners and our shareholders,” ExxonMobil Upstream president Liam Mallon said.
Exxon, he said, is working to provide “energy at affordable prices to meet the growing world demand for energy, while reducing our emissions. In Angola, since 2016, we have already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 74%.”
Work on Block 15 comes under Exxon’s redevelopment programme for the area, launched in 2019.
ANPG said Exxon was carrying out work in Angola in order to stem natural production declines from the offshore area.
The first discoveries were made on Block 15 in 1998.
Exxon is the operator of Block 15 with a 36% stake. Azule Energy has 42%, following the combination of Eni and BP’s local interests. Equinor Angola has 12% and Sonangol P&P 10%.
Sonangol entered the partnership under the 2019 redevelopment deal.