ExxonMobil Angola affiliate makes 12th deepwater oil discovery

Petroleum News Alaska

On said June 14 Exxon Mobil said that subsidiary Esso Exploration Angola Ltd. had completed drilling the 1 Semba wildcat well on Angola, the first well on Block 24. Approximately 230 miles southwest of Luanda, the encountered two oil-bearing reservoirs that flowed at a combined test rate of 3,039 barrels per day.

On May 23, Esso made a deepwater oil discovery, its 12th oil find on Angola Block 15. The discovery well, approximately 191 miles northwest of Luanda, flowed at a test rate of 3,280 barrels per day.

Esso and Sociedade Nacionale de Combustiveis de Angola, the state oil company of Angola, have announced 11 Block 15 discoveries since 1998. ExxonMobil said recoverable hydrocarbon potential in Block 15 is in excess of 3.5 billion oil equivalent barrels. Planning for multiple developments is under way with the first due to come on stream in 2004.

In addition to Esso (operator, 40 percent), other participants in Block 15 are BP Exploration (Angola) Ltd. (26.67 percent), Agip Angola Exploration B.V. (20 percent) and Statoil(13.33 percent).

ExxonMobil currently has interests in nine deepwater blocks offshore Angola covering 11 million gross acres and has announced 22 discoveries since 1996.