Total and its project partners are set to resume drilling at block 11B/12B in the Luiperd prospect, where Total in early 2019 flagged potential resources of 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent, in September.
Total SA has deployed a rig to South Africa to look for more oil near a massive discovery, in a rare example of exploration in a frontier area.
Operations in the block, which are located in the Outeniqua Basin approximately 175 Km off the southern coast of South Africa had been delayed for several months due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to total’s partner, Canadian oil and gas firm Africa Energy Corp, the Deepsea Stavanger semi-submersible rig departed Bergen, Norway last week, for South Africa to start a multi-well drilling program.
The Luiperd prospect has been “de-risked” by the nearby Brulpadda discovery, where Total last year flagged potential resources of 1B boe and subsequent 3D seismic work has been completed, Africa Energy says.
The discovery sparked renewed interest in South Africa’s exploration sector, but uncertainty over a delayed revision of the legislative framework for petroleum exploration has held back investment.
The offshore frontier opportunities
As reported in May, Total and Odfjell Drilling agreed to keep the Deepsea Stavanger idle for a while in Norway due to the COVID-19 situation and travel restrictions, delaying further the South Africa drilling start-up.
The Odfjell Deepsea Stavanger semi-submersible rig has departed Norway for South Africa to start a multi-well drilling program, according to Total partner Africa Energy Corp. While drilling work has dropped off dramatically everywhere, with rigs in Africa falling by a record in May amid the oil-price collapse, the existing discovery gives the companies hope there’s more oil to be found in the area.
Total, which operates Block 11B/12B with a 45% stake, made the estimated 1 billion barrel Brulpadda find in February 2019. The deposit of primarily gas-condensate a light liquid hydrocarbon was drilled about 175 kilometers (109 miles) off South Africa’s southern coast. Africa Energy holds a 49% stake in Main Street 1549 Proprietary Ltd., which has a 10% interest in the block.
The block, in Outeniqua basin 175 km off the southern coast of South Africa, covers 19,000 sq km in 200-1,800 m of water. Luiperd is the largest prospect in the Paddavissie fairway, at the southwest corner of the block, and has been de-risked by the nearby Brulpadda discovery and subsequent 3D seismic work. The basin-opening Brulpadda oil and gas discovery on the block was drilled by Deepsea Stavanger in February 2019
The partners are planning to drill a well in the Luiperd prospect in water depths of as much as 1.8 kilometers by September, Africa Energy Chief Executive Officer Garrett Soden said in a statement. The prospects in the area have improved following the nearby Brulpadda discovery and other seismic work, he said.
In 2018, the government scrapped a reform of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, paving the way for the upstream petroleum and mining industries to establish independent regulatory structures. In December it published an upstream development Bill for which the consultation period ended on 21 February. The next step towards adopting the bill is for the cabinet to consider the legislation, but this has been delayed by COVID-19.
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