Four key Angolan oilfield development, redevelopment, field optimization and field extension projects were halted by the COVID-19 challenges, from June 2020, and they will proceed in full as the anxiety clears.
The redevelopment of the Chevron operated Tômbua Lândana development area, which comprises Kuito, Benguela, Belize, Lobito, Tomboco and Tômbua Lândana fields in Block 14; new developments in the ExxonMobil operated Block 15; new phases in the expansion of the CLOV and Dalia clusters of fields in TOTAL operated Block 17 and the Platina field, part of BP operated Greater Plutonio development area, in Block 18 are all projects for which the Majors and the government had signed renegotiation agreements in the last 12 months.
These agreements provide for drilling of several development and exploration wells, to add, as a collective, over 120Million barrels of oil. The Block 14 agreement, in particular, provides for the drilling of several development and exploration wells, adding, in the first phase, approximately 60Million barrels in reserves.
Paulino Jerónimo, Chief Executive of the country’s National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG), says there was a brake on implementation of these developments as a result of the State of Emergency imposed by COVID-19. “It caused the temporary suspension of the contracts of most of the rigs operating in national territory. We have been working with the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, oil operators and service providers to prevent the spread of the pandemic in oil facilities and the return, as soon as possible, of the rigs in order to effect the agreements”, he said in an interview published on the ANPG website, adding “in Block 18, the development of allowing the production of about 20 thousand barrels of oil per day in the near future”.
The agency he says is pleased that, “the return of the rigs for the execution of the approved project has already started”.
