French oil giant Total announced new discoveries from the Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 wells (BILDM-2 and BILDM-3), drilled in a water depth of 800 metres in the central area of the Moho-Bilondo licence approximately 70 kilometres offshore the Republic of the Congo. They follow the successful exploration wells Moho Nord Marine 1 and 2 drilled in 2007.
Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 were drilled to a total depth of around 1,800 metres in the Tertiary series and flowed successfully, the company said.The Bilondo Marine 2 and 3 wells encountered a gross reservoir of 77 and 44 metres respectively. Neither well encountered water, a Total statement said.
The latest discoveries confirm Total’s confidence that an additional development hub is emerging as a direct extension of phase 1 which is already producing in the southern part of the Moho-Bilondo licence. This first phase, brought on stream in 2008, was the first ultra-deepwater field to be developed in the the country. The field is currently producing 90,000 barrels per day from 13 subsea wells tied into a floating production unit (FPU). The oil is exported to the onshore Djeno terminal.
Total E&P Congo is the operator with a 53.5% interest in the license, alongside Chevron Overseas Congo (31.5%) and Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo (15%).
Total Exploration & Production in the Republic of the Congo
Present in the Republic of the Congo since 1968, Total is the country’s leading oil producer. Total E&P Congo operates nine of the 21 fields developed, accounting for nearly 60% of national output. The Group’s net equity production averaged 106,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2009.
Total Exploration & Production’s main assets in the Republic of Congo are the Moho Bilondo licence (Total 53.5%, operator); the Nkossa licence (Total 53.5%, operator) in which work began in 2005 with has maintained the field’s production level at 50,000 barrels per day.
The Libondo project (Total 65%, operator), a satellite of Yanga, where development has been under way since October 2008, and which field will be brought on stream in January 2011. The Pointe-Noire construction yard was awarded some of the contracts to build the offshore installations, leading to the creation of around 1,000 direct and indirect local jobs.
The Mer Très Profonde Sud (MTPS) license (Total 40%, operator), in which Total is continuing to explore.
The Joint Development Zone between Congo and Angola (Total 37%) — on which the partners have decided to begin front end engineering and design for the Lianzi project.
