Anadarko upgrades Mozambique offshore gas reserves, spurs LNG plans

Offshore staff

HOUSTON – Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has upgraded its recoverable gas reserves offshore Mozambique on the basis of results from the Barquentine-3 appraisal well. The company says it now estimates recoverable resources of 15-30 tcf of natural gas with 30-50 tcf of gas in place. Previous estimates put the reserves at closer to 10 tcf. The Barquentine-3 appraisal well found more than 662 net ft (202 m) of gas pay in two high-quality Oligocene fan systems, said Anadarko. The well was drilled to TD of 13,400 ft (4,084 m) in 5,170 ft (1,575 m) water depth. The company has extended its contract with the Belford Dolphin drillship by four years and is mobilizing the Deepwater Millennium drillship to the area. Anadarko President and COO Al Walker said, “The results of Barquentine-3 indicate that we continue to encounter very thick sands with high-quality rock throughout these massive, connected reservoirs. “Recoverable resources of this size and quality are perfectly suited for a large-scale LNG development, which is currently being designed to consist of at least two trains with the flexibility to expand to six trains. We also plan to leverage our experience with Independence Hub by constructing an offshore hub facility that will be tied back to the LNG plant onshore. “We are already nearing the completion of the pre-FEED (front-end engineering and design) activity and expect to begin FEED work in the near future. Simultaneously, we have analyzed our two new 3D seismic datasets and are excited to have the rig commitments in place to continue our appraisal work while accelerating our exploration activities, including testing a growing number of high-potential prospects in other areas of the Offshore Area 1.”