OILING THE WHEELS

BIG GAME-CHANGER FOR SA

FRENCH oil and gas company Total revealed yesterday that it had made a significant gas condensate discovery on the Brulpadda prospects after drilling in deep-sea waters, 175km off the southern coast of South Africa. Located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, Total said the Brulpadda well encountered 57 metres of net gas condensate pay in Lower Cretaceous reservoirs. The Block 11B/12B covers an area of 19 000km², with water depths ranging from 200m to 1 800m, and is operated by Total with a 45 percent working interest, alongside Qatar Petroleum, CNR International and South African consortium, Main Street. Kevin McLachlan, senior vicepresident for exploration at Total, said the well was deepened to a final depth of 3 633m and has also been successful in the Brulpadda-deep prospect. “We are very pleased to announce the Brulpadda discovery which was drilled in a challenging deep-water environment,” McLachlan said. “With this discovery, Total has opened a new world-class gas and oil play and is well-positioned to test several follow-on prospects on the same block.” Total drilled the exploration well with the latest generation drilling ship and was able to leverage its experience in similar environments in West Shetland in the UK. Total said that it and its partners planned to acquire 3D seismic this year followed by up to four exploration wells on the licence. When he visited Total’s deepsea rig operations on Saturday, Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said that the government would give all the support it could to the project because the discovery of oil and gas would reduce the country’s dependence on imported crude oil. |

SOUTH Africa has suddenly become a world-class hydrocarbon exploration destination and will overnight make a trillion rand for the fiscus following the discovery of significant gas in the Outeniqua Basin, off the coast of South Africa.

Stephen Larkin, expert in Southern Africa oil and gas exploration and chief executive of Africa New Energies said a lot of dollars of investment would flow into the country and, more importantly, the discovery would save jobs at Mossgas, which was on the brink of closure in 2022, but will now be rejuvenated.

“Overnight, South Africa will make a trillion rand it did not have before. Granted, this will be spread over 20 years, but this will reduce the government’s fiscal deficit by about 30 percent,” Larkin said. French oil and gas company Total confirmed that it had made a gas condensate discovery on the Brulpadda prospects after drilling in deep sea waters, 175km off the southern coast of South Africa.

Located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, Total said the Brulpadda well encountered 57 metres of net gas condensate in lower cretaceous reservoirs. Following this discovery and confirmation of its potential, the company said it would follow up with 3D seismic tests before drilling four exploration wells.

In his State Of The Nation adress last night, President Cyril Ramaphosa said the discovery was a game changer.

“We are extremely encouraged by the report this morning about the Brulpadda block in the Outeniqua Basin, which some have described as a catalytic find,” he said.

He said the government will continue to develop legislation for the sector, so that it is properly regulated for the interests of all concerned.

Larkin said the industry was highly encouraged by the government’s pragmatic approach to exploration effective regulatory framework