Italian multinational firm Eni has made its fifth light-oil discovery on Block 15/06 in the deep waters off Angola through an exploration program it launched just last year.
The Agidigbo-1 NFW well proved a single hydrocarbon column consisting of a 60-m gas cap and 100 m of light oil in Lower Miocene sandstones with good petrophysical properties, Eni said. Drilled by Seadrill’s West Gemini sixth-generation ultradeepwater drillship, the well reached TD of 3800 m in 275 m of water.
Analysis of the results indicate between 300–400 million bbl of light oil in place, the operator said.
The Agidigbo find follows the Kalimba, Afoxé, Agogo, and Ndungu discoveries. The five discoveries combined hold an estimated 1.8 billion bbl of light oil in place. Eni plans an appraisal campaign next year.
“These new discoveries further confirm the exploration potential of the block and the effectiveness of the exploration skills and proprietary technologies that Eni is utilizing to unlock the full potential of the area,” the company said in a news release.
Agidigbo is around 10 km from the East Hub facilities and subsea network, meaning that development of the find can be fast-tracked and linked to the Armada Olombendo floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
East Hub output began in 2017, and the FPSO can produce 80,000 B/D of oil and compress up to 3.4 million m³/D of gas. Eni’s West Hub project, also on Block 15/06, has been producing since 2014. The projects together produce 155,000 B/D of oil.
Eni is operator of Block 15/06 with a 36.8421% interest. Partners are Angola’s state-owned Sonangol P&P and SSI Fifteen Limited, which own 36.8421% and 26.3158%, respectively. Eni is also operator of the onshore Cabinda Norte block.