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The German oil and gas producer Wintershall has used the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC), currently being held in Doha, Qatar, to announce that it is planning to expand its operations in the Middle East and is the operator of three offshore gas field licences in the Gulf state.
Speaking at a press conference at IPTC, a director of Wintershall, Martin Bachmann, said that the blocks are located close to, but are not part of, the massive North Field.
“We are the largest exploration acreage holder in Qatar at this point in time. We won the blocks against very stiff competition and that is because it is one of the best prospects in Qatari waters,” Bachmann said.
The first exploration well in the Khuff formation of Block 4N will be drilled offshore in 2010 with a second following soon after. Block 4N covers 544 square kilometers in water depths of around 70 metres. Bachamann said that Wintershall plans to invest around US$100 million on developing Block 4N alone.
Wintershall is also operator for offshore Block 3, which was awarded in 2007. The block covers an area of 1666 square kilometers. Wintershall also operate the adjacent Block 11.
Wintershall, a subsidiary of the German conglomerate BASF, also announced that it was planning to open an office in Abu Dhabi that would serve the whole region.
