Total awarded two exploration licenses in Mauritania

Total has signed two exploration licenses with the Mauritanian government that gives it, as operator, a 90% interest in the following blocks:

Block C 9 in ultra deep offshoreBlock Ta 29 onshore in the Taoudeni basin.

The National oil company SMH will hold the remaining 10%.

"With this ultra deep offshore award, we are entering into a high-potential, frontier play, known as the abrupt margin, in which major discoveries have been made recently, like in French Guyana" said Marc Blaizot, Total's Senior Vice President, Exploration.

"The license award is aligned with Total’s strategy of expanding its exploration operations into high-potential geological plays while leveraging the Group’s globally recognized ultra-deepwater expertise. The new onshore block is on the same trend as onshore Block Ta 7 on which latest exploration results show good prospectivity in this part of the Taoudeni basin."

The block C 9 is located approximately 140 kilometers offshore Western Mauritania, covering an area of more than 10,000 km?, in water depths ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 metres.

The Block Ta 29 is located in the Saharan desert, 1,000 kilometers east from Nouakchott and north of the Block Ta 7 in which Total is already conducting exploration activities.

For both blocks, a seismic acquisition campaign is planned as the first phase of the exploration program.

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BP awarded exploration blocks in Indonesia

BP received two oil and gas product sharing contracts (PSCs) from the Government of Indonesia.

The company received 100 percent interests in the offshore West of Aru I and II PSCs in the Arafura Sea, Indonesia.

The West of Aru are I and II PSCs is approximately 500 kilometers southwest of the BP-operated North Arafura PSC and 200 km west of the Aru islands of the Moluccas in Indonesia.

The West of Aru I comprises an area of about 8,100 km2 PSC and the West of Aru II PSC covers an area of approximately 8,300 km2.

The two blocks have water depths between 200 metres and 2,500 metres. BP expects that begin in the near future seismic activity in these blocks.

"In the last two years BP's position in Indonesia by access to four Coalbed Methane PSCs in Kalimantan and three conventional gas blocks in Papua, deepened", said William Lin, BP President Asia Pacific regional.

"These two new blocks are strong complements this portfolio and benefit from expertise in BP Exploration in the deep sea." "We appreciate the continued support and confidence of the Government of Indonesia."

Including the award of these blocks BP access blocks in 11 countries around the world on 69 new license since October 2010, including Kalimantan Coalbed Methane and North Arafura blocks in Indonesia won. The company plans to double worldwide spend his exploration in the next few years.

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Heritage Oil awarded Tanzanian acreage

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Posted: 1 November 2011

Heritage Oil has been awarded a further Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) in Tanzania and is the operator with 100% interest.

"We are delighted to have signed the Rukwa PSA which shares many geological similarities with the Albert Basin in Uganda where we have had previous success," said Tony Buckingham, Heritage CEO

"We established a new play fairway in East African rift basins with our exploration success in Uganda and believe this previous experience provides Heritage with a unique advantage in accessing the potential of this exciting new area."

Heritage has now licensed virtually the entire Rukwa Rift Basin split into two separate areas; Rukwa North Basin and Rukwa South Basin. These blocks cover areas of 10,175 square kilometres and 8,745 square kilometres respectively.

Limited exploration activity was undertaken in the blocks in the mid-1980s which resulted in the acquisition of c.2,300 kilometres of 2D seismic data and the drilling of two wells.

The historical gravity and seismic data highlight the potential in the Rukwa Rift Basin with over seven kilometres of sedimentary section in some places. Heritage recognises that the Rukwa Rift Basin shares certain similarities with the Albert Basin of Uganda, thereby providing the Company with a key advantage in assessing the blocks.

The work programme will commence shortly and Heritage has committed to acquire c.600 kilometres of new 2D seismic data and will also reprocess and reinterpret the legacy seismic database. The new seismic programme will focus on exploration plays in potentially prospective areas of the blocks not previously considered, covering structures that were poorly defined on the legacy data. Heritage will draw on its considerable operational experience of working in remote environments to drill any prospective targets it identifies.

In the event of an oil discovery, the Rukwa Rift Basin lies less than 100 kilometres from the railhead at Mbeya and economic scoping shows the commercial viability of either rail export to Dar es Salaam or export by pipeline depending on exploration success.

Posted by Richard Price, Editor, energyme.com. Follow energyme.com on Twitter @energyme. Information supplied by companies or PR agencies who are responsible for content. Send press releases in Word format to richard@energyme.com

View the original article here

Heritage Oil awarded Tanzanian acreage

Heritage Oil has been awarded a further Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) in Tanzania and is the operator with 100% interest.

"We are delighted to have signed the Rukwa PSA which shares many geological similarities with the Albert Basin in Uganda where we have had previous success," said Tony Buckingham, Heritage CEO

"We established a new play fairway in East African rift basins with our exploration success in Uganda and believe this previous experience provides Heritage with a unique advantage in accessing the potential of this exciting new area."

Heritage has now licensed virtually the entire Rukwa Rift Basin split into two separate areas; Rukwa North Basin and Rukwa South Basin. These blocks cover areas of 10,175 square kilometres and 8,745 square kilometres respectively.

Limited exploration activity was undertaken in the blocks in the mid-1980s which resulted in the acquisition of c.2,300 kilometres of 2D seismic data and the drilling of two wells.

The historical gravity and seismic data highlight the potential in the Rukwa Rift Basin with over seven kilometres of sedimentary section in some places. Heritage recognises that the Rukwa Rift Basin shares certain similarities with the Albert Basin of Uganda, thereby providing the Company with a key advantage in assessing the blocks.

The work programme will commence shortly and Heritage has committed to acquire c.600 kilometres of new 2D seismic data and will also reprocess and reinterpret the legacy seismic database. The new seismic programme will focus on exploration plays in potentially prospective areas of the blocks not previously considered, covering structures that were poorly defined on the legacy data. Heritage will draw on its considerable operational experience of working in remote environments to drill any prospective targets it identifies.

In the event of an oil discovery, the Rukwa Rift Basin lies less than 100 kilometres from the railhead at Mbeya and economic scoping shows the commercial viability of either rail export to Dar es Salaam or export by pipeline depending on exploration success.

View the original article here