Angola is the busiest site for wildcat exploration drilling among Africa’s top three oil producers. Over eight exploration wells were being drilled between August and September 2013. Whereas Nigeria’s rig count is the highest, at 43, in September 2013, the focus by the country is on production wells. Libya’s oilfield activity has been so shaken by militancy that rig count had dropped to as low as three, in the same period.
TOTAL’s Sumate-1 in the Calulu (Block 33) Provisional Development Area (PDA) was disappointing by the French major’s pre-drill estimates, even though it reportedly encountered crude oil in the target Miocene reservoirs. Maersk Oil is finalizing its operations on Mulavi-1 wildcat in deepwater Block 16, while ENI Angola concluded drilling its Mukupela-1 in Block 15/06, in early September with well turning out to be the company’s 10th discovery on the block. ENI, indeed, had earlier been reported, in Angolan newspapers, as encountering commercial sized pools in Olombendo 1, in the same block around August 30.
Cobalt Energy was on on Lontra #1 well (drilled by Petroserv Catarina rig), in Block 20, and Mavinga #1 well, adjacent and north of the Cameia discovery in Block 21, during the same period. Mavinga 1 was being drilled by Ocean Confidence.
Onshore, Pluspetrol Angola Corporation reportedly encountered light crude in the Chela and Bucomazi formations in its NOZ-1 wildcat, located in the Cabinda Sul onshore block.
