Chevron confirms new oil and gas condensate discovery offshore Angola
Chevron has confirmed an oil and gas condensate discovery at the 105-4X exploration well in Block 0, offshore Angola.
The well, drilled in the prolific Lower Congo Basin, encountered an oil and gas condensate column of more than 600 meters (2,000 feet) in the primary Pinda reservoir, with more than 90 meters (300 feet) of net pay in what Chevron describes as “excellent” reservoir quality.
The discovery will be assessed for potential development as a tieback to Chevron’s existing facilities nearby, enabling a capital-efficient path to production.
“This discovery is another important milestone for Chevron’s over 70-year history in Angola,” said Kevin McLachlan, Vice President, Exploration, Chevron. “By combining high-impact exploration with infrastructure-led opportunities close to existing facilities, we are growing our resource base, creating value, and demonstrating that our strategy is delivering, as well as our continued confidence in Angola’s resource potential.”
Block 0 is operated by Chevron’s subsidiary Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (CABGOC), and is co-owned by Sonangol E&P, TotalEnergies, and Azule Energy.
Block 0 is a mature, shallow-water area off Cabinda. Industry sources classify it as shallow water, typically in the 50–400 m (≈160–1,300 ft) range overall, with many nearby producing fields and platforms in tens to low hundreds of meters.
While Chevron has not publicly identified the rig that drilled the 105-4X discovery well, the Shelf Drilling Tenacious jackup has been under continuous contract to CABGOC for Block 0 operations since 2022 and remains on contract through at least February 2027. As the primary jackup working for Chevron in this shallow-water concession, it is the most likely candidate to have drilled the well.
About the Author
Bruce Beaubouef
Senior Lead Reporter / Managing Editor
Bruce Beaubouef is Managing Editor for Offshore magazine. In that capacity, he plans and oversees content for the magazine; writes features on technologies and trends for the magazine; writes news updates for the website; creates and moderates topical webinars; and creates videos that focus on offshore oil and gas and renewable energies. Beaubouef has been in the oil and gas trade media for 25 years, starting out as Editor of Hart’s Pipeline Digest in 1998. From there, he went on to serve as Associate Editor for Pipe Line and Gas Industry for Gulf Publishing for four years before rejoining Hart Publications as Editor of PipeLine and Gas Technology in 2003. He joined Offshore magazine as Managing Editor in 2010, at that time owned by PennWell Corp. Beaubouef earned his Ph.D. at the University of Houston in 1997, and his dissertation was published in book form by Texas A&M University Press in September 2007 as The Strategic Petroleum Reserve: U.S. Energy Security and Oil Politics, 1975-2005.