Gas has been discovered at the Orca-1 well, entirely contained within Offshore Area 1 where Anadarko is the operator. The well was drilled to a depth of about five kilometres in water a kilometre deep.
According to Anadarko’s Bob Daniels, “discovering another large, distinct and separate natural gas accumulation in the Offshore Area 1 continues our outstanding exploration success offshore Mozambique”.
In Offshore Area 1 the company has already discovered between 15 and 35 trillion cubic feet of gas at its Golfinho/Atum complex and a further 17 to 30 trillion cubic feet of gas at its Prosperidade complex.
Anadarko holds a 36.5 per cent share in Offshore Area 1. Its co-owners are Mitsui of Japan (20 per cent), BPRL Ventures and Videocon (both of India, with 10 per cent each) and PTT of Thailand (8.5 per cent). The Mozambican government is represented by Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos which holds a 15 per cent stake in the fields.
Planning is underway for the construction of onshore facilities in Mozambique to liquefy the gas so that it can be shipped to market. Anadarko hopes to bring this online in 2018, and estimates that it could make Mozambique the third largest exporter of LNG after Qatar and Australia. The income from the project would more than double Mozambique’s Gross National Product.
Post published in: Africa News