Declining production has become a serious concern for the government of Congo Brazzaville. According to Jérôme Mountou of Societe Nationanal des Petroles du Congo (SNPC), the country is looking to marginal field development to arrest production decline.
Declining production has become a serious concern for the government of Congo Brazzaville. According to Jérôme Mountou of Societe Nationanal des Petroles du Congo (SNPC), the country is looking to marginal field development to arrest production decline.
Mountou told participants at a conference in Houston that oil is the most important component of Congo's economy, representing nearly 80% of the country's revenue.
Mountou attributed the problem of decreasing production to a dearth of discoveries in the last few years. Congo has not seen a sizable offshore discovery since the mid 1990s. Now the movement is toward shore, with most of the identified marginal fields lying in fairly shallow water.
Both oil and gas fields have been identified, and, according to Mountou, their potential commerciality was based on each field's reserves.
SNPC is encouraging companies to work with the government to produce marginal fields. Mountou said the government is open to suggestions from developers, and plans to facilitate exploration and development.
