Oil and gas exploration is expected to bounce back in Ghana next year following a protracted lull precipitated mainly by the COVID 19 pandemic, petroleum sources say.
State-owned Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) says it expects to drill its first exploration well at the onshore Voltaian basin in 2022.
“We shot some 3D seismic, we’ve done some geochemistry analysis at the Voltaian basin and doing bit more of 2D and 3D. And we hope to get permission from the Minister to drill a well next year,” revealed a representative of GNPC at a high–level colloquium on Ghana at the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas.
GNPC was assigned the task of evaluating the onshore Voltaian basin in readiness for oil and gas exploration. But the national oil company has struggled to deliver on its mandate.
Equally encouraging is the resumption of drilling activities off the Ghanaian coast in 2022. Lagos-based AMNI Petroleum, MEDEA Development and GOGSCO are some offshore license holders who plan to drill at least one exploration well, according to regulatory agency Petroleum Commission.
“Almost all exploratory drilling campaigns suspended because of the pandemic, are planned to be undertaken by Q2 2022.
Exploratory drilling is expected to commence between Q4 2021 and Q2 2022 with an expected spend of $180 million,” the Commission said in an advisory to companies registered to provide goods and services in the sector.
AMNI plans to drill an obligatory exploration well at the Central Tano Content Area in Q2 2022, while Medea hopes to drill at the East Cape Three Points Central Area (following the acquisition of new 3D seismic data).
Eco Atlantic says it will drill the Dawadawa -1X well, its first exploratory well at the Deepwater Cape Three Points West Block by Q2 2022. GOGSCO has identified drilling targets at the Offshore South-West Tano and expects to drill its first obligatory well by Q2 2022.
The Petroleum Commission is optimistic that the commencement of development at the AkomaEben complex (which is part of the CTP Block 4 operated by EnI) will happen in the latter part of 2022.
“The project will involve further drilling of appraisal and development wells, subsea infrastructure and possible topsides modifications of FPSO JAK,” the report said.
The preliminary estimates in place at the Eban–Akoma complex is between 500 and 700 m boe. Due to its probity to existing infrastructure, the new discovery could be fast-tracked to production with a subsea tie-in to FPSO John Agyekum Kufuor.
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SOURCE: Offshore Africa