ExxonMobil announces Nigerian deepwater discovery

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Exxon Mobil Corp. said May 14 that its Nigerian subsidiary, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Ltd., has participated in a significant new oil discovery in deepwater Oil Prospecting License 222, approximately 62 miles offshore Nigeria.

The Usan-1 discovery well was drilled in 2,460 feet of water to a total depth of 8,940 feet and encountered an oil-bearing reservoir that flowed at a test rate of 5,000 barrels of oil per day.

In addition to Esso (30 percent interest), other participants in OPL 222 are Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (operator, 20 percent interest), Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (30 percent interest) and Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (20 percent interest). Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., the Nigeria national oil company, is the concessionaire of the block.

ExxonMobil deepwater interests in Nigeria include the Erha discovery (ExxonMobil, operator, 56.2 percent interest) and the Bonga and Bonga Southwest discoveries (ExxonMobil interest 20 percent).

In addition to deepwater interests in Nigeria, ExxonMobil participates in a joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp., for which it operates five leases covering about 800,000 acres in shallow water offshore southeastern Nigeria.