An exploration well drilled offshore Gabon has not discovered hydrocarbons. The step-out well was carried out as part of ongoing efforts to expand resources in the country’s offshore fields.
Operations are taking place within Gabon’s Etame Marine license, where the operator continues a multi-well drilling program aimed at sustaining output and identifying additional reserves.
The company also manages offshore projects in Ivory Coast and Equatorial Guinea and is reviewing plans to deploy two new floating production, storage, and offloading vessels across its regional portfolio.
Results from the Etame West ET-14P exploration well showed about 10 meters of high-quality Gamba sands, matching earlier geological expectations, but the reservoir contained water rather than hydrocarbons.
The drilling team will plug and abandon the lower section of the well following the outcome.
Engineers now plan to drill a sidetrack into the upper section to develop the ET-14H well within the main Etame fault block, subject to partner approval, with completion targeted for April.
Company leadership noted that the project carried known geological risks, but the potential size of the reservoir justified proceeding with the exploration. They added that the well design allowed the borehole to be reused for a development well in a proven producing zone if commercial sands were not encountered.
source: www.upstreamonline.com
African Energy Council