Ghana hits more oil and gas
By Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, Sept 16, Ghanadot - The
Sankofa-A1 well, drilled at Cape Three Points Block on
Ghana’s offshore by Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
in conjunction with Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited (Vitol),
discovered a net hydrocarbon column of approximately 36.3
metres.
It comprised 33.1 metres of gas and 3.2 metres of oil in
reservoir sands of Campania age.
A statement issued in Accra on Tuesday by the GNPC noted
that: “The success of this well confirms the prospects of
these Upper Cretaceous reservoir sands in the Tano/Cape
Three Points Basin blocks offshore Western Ghana where the
Jubilee field was discovered and is being developed.”
The Sankofa-1A well is located 38 kilometres east of the
Jubilee field and 21 kilometres east of the Odum discovery
in the West Cape Three Points block.
Drilling at the well has been suspended for possible
re-entry. The target reservoir was successfully cored, and a
full wireline logging programme was also ran.
The statement said the well was drilled with the Blackford
Dolphin Semi-Submersible drilling rig in water depths of 866
metres and reached a total depth of 3,704 metres MD (3,674
metres TVDSS).
The Vitol Block covers a total area of 2,080 square
kilometres in water depths ranging from 50 metres to 1,400
metres.
This is the first exploration well to be drilled during the
first phase (that is three years) of the three-phased
seven-year exploration period provided under the Petroleum
Agreement entered into with the Government of Ghana and GNPC
in 2006.
Vitol has 90 per cent interest in the block while GNPC has
10 per cent carried interest. GNPC has the option of
acquiring an additional 10 per cent paying interest on
commercial discovery.
It also operates the offshore Cape Three Points South Block.
Nana Boakye Asafu-Adjaye, GNPC Managing Director said, “This
discovery marks another milestone in the effort that GNPC
has been making over the years to establish Ghana as a
significant hydrocarbon province.
Both the oil and gas that have been encountered in this well
are of importance to Ghana’s aspiration”.
Mr. Steve Want of Vitol said “We are excited that this first
well in our exploration programme in Ghana has made a
discovery. We will continue our close partnership with GNPC
and the Government of Ghana in the exploration programme and
look forward to more successes in the years ahead”.
Vitol Upstream Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of Vitol Holding
S.a.r.l., a major oil company, obtained the first petroleum
agreement with the Government of Ghana in 2006, to explore
hydrocarbons in the West Cape Three Points Block offshore
Ghana and a second petroleum agreement in 2008 in the
southern block—the Offshore Cape three Points South Block.
GNPC was established under PNDC Law 64 in 1983 with a
mandate to undertake petroleum exploration, development and
production activities on its own or in association with
other companies and to ensure that the exploration of these
hydrocarbon resources benefited the people of Ghana.
Ghanadot
