Africa: Congo

AFRICA

Congo

Officials from Angola and Congo met in February 2000 to discuss ways to benefit mutually from E&P activities. Sonangal offered to share its experience, and a proposal was made to build a refinery in Angola with participation by both countries. Angola would like to have a place for output from Chevron’s Benguela and Belize offshore fields. The discussions may also help decide how best to handle fields that straddle their adjoining border.

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The newly established (April 1999), national upstream oil company, SNPC, finished transforming the last of the old exploration contracts into production sharing agreements. Much of the former state oil company, Hydro Congo, will be privatized, retaining only distribution functions.

In the field, TotalFinaElf made a discovery on its Mer Tres Profonde Sud permit offshore Point Noire. Well Andromede Marine 1 was drilled in 6,200-ft waters – Congo’s deepest – and flowed 7,000 bopd.

Isramco Inc. found a contractor to drill their Talapia-Land 1 well in the onshore Talapia permit this coming September. Elf had previously drilled Talapia 1 offshore and struck pay that tested 2,000 bopd. The land well is actually deviated and targets the same reservoir.

UK-based Ocelot Int’l. bought Shell’s interest in three concessions located near the mouth of the Congo River, bringing its share to 45%. TotalFinaElf is operator of the fields, which produce an estimated 10,000 bopd.

Significant African discoveries July 1999 – July 2000