Offshore staff
(Rio de Janeiro)-Brazilian energy company Petrobras has obtained a stake in 3 Angolan exploratory blocks following a successful tender bid organized by Angola's state oil company, Sonangol.
The inclusion of the three exploratory blocks, designated 6, 26 and 15, represents a new phase in Petrobras' business in Angola. The company will now take on a new role as operator for blocks 6 and 26.
Block 6 is located in shallow waters, and will be the focus of an economic feasibility study over the course of the next four years. Exploratory work undertaken 20 years ago using technology developed by Petrobras' R&D arm Cenpes indicated the presence of a hydrocarbon reservoir on this block.
Block 26 is located in southern Angola, in the deepwater Benguela basin. Petrobras considers this block to be at the current exploratory frontier, and the company will conduct a great deal of drilling activities there over the next few years. Petrobras plans to integrate geological and geophysical data and analogies with existing hydrocarbon models for the west coast of Africa and the east coast of Brazil.
Block 15 is located in a region in Angolan deepwaters that remains unexplored. However, the perimeter of the area contains oil fields with reserves of approximately 3.5 Bbbl and daily production of 600,000 bbl. Petrobras, and other oil companies, are therefore banking on this region to have significant untapped hydrocarbon potential.
The addition of these 3 blocks now gives Petrobras a stake in 5 blocks offshore Angola. Present in Angola since 1979, Petrobras also has a stake in block 2, with a production rate of 6,500 b/d, and exploratory activities in deepwater block 34.
5/17/2006
