Image: Financial Times
Dallas-based operator Kosmos Energy along with its joint-venture partners BP and state-owned Société des Pétroles du Sénégal and Société Mauritanienne des Hydrocarbures et du Patrimoine Minier, announced yesterday that it has discovered 30 meters of net gas pay in the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) Project straddling Mauritania and Senegal’s border.
The drilling took place in the GTA-1 well, which has been designed as a future producer, on the eastern anticline (an arch-shaped fold in rock, anticlines form many excellent hydrocarbon traps in particular when formed of reservoir-quality rocks) within the project development zone.
The well was drilled at a depth close to 2,500 meters reaching a total depth of 4,884 meters and located 10 kilometers away from Guembeul-1A and Tortue-1 wells. GTA-1 is located offshore Senegal although the GTA project is developed evenly by both Mauritania and Senegal.
Regarding the discovery, Andrew Inglis, Chief Executive Officer of Kosmos Energy stated his optimism regarding growth across the GTA project area of operations: “The GTA-1 well confirms our expectation that the gas resource at Greater Tortue Ahmeyim will continue to grow over time and could lead to further expansion of this world-scale 10 MTPA LNG project. In addition, Kosmos’ process to sell down its interest to 10 percent has received considerable interest from the industry, with initial bids expected over the summer, and transaction conclusion anticipated by year-end.”
Upcoming drillings include BP drilling the Yakaar-2 appraisal well in Senegal before the same rig Ensco DS-12 drills the Orca-1 exploration well in Mauritania, towards the third quarter of this year.
Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas discoveries were first made in 2015 and 2016 and are expected to produce first gas by 2022, rendering it the quickest even liquefied natural gas project.