ExxonMobil Makes 25-Meter Hydrocarbon-Bearing Sandstone Discovery in Angola's Block 15

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 9, the Angolan National Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels (ANPG), ExxonMobil Angola, and Block 15 partners announced a new oil and gas discovery at the Vicango Este-01 exploration well. The well is located approximately 370 kilometers northwest of the coast of Luanda and was drilled by the Valaris DS-9 drillship in approximately 940 meters of water, encountering approximately 25 meters of high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone with reservoir porosity of approximately 22%. This is the 20th discovery in Block 15 over the past 30 years and the 3rd discovery in the past 4 years.

Block 15 is operated by Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, which holds a 36% interest, with Azule Angola Limited holding 24%, Azule Angola BV holding 18%, Equinor Angola Block 15 A.S. holding 12%, and Sonangol Exploration and Production Company (Sonangol E&P) holding 10%. ANPG is the concessionaire management authority for the block.

ExxonMobil acquired the operating rights to Block 15 in 1994 and made its first discovery in 1998. The block covers an area of approximately 1,044 square kilometers. Prior to the Vicango Este-01 discovery, Block 15 had accumulated 19 discoveries with recoverable resources of approximately 3 billion barrels of crude oil; since production began in 2003, cumulative crude oil production has exceeded 2.7 billion barrels.

Block 15 has continued to implement redevelopment and supplementary exploration in recent years. In 2022, the Bavuca South-1 exploration well encountered approximately 30 meters of high-quality hydrocarbon-bearing sandstone. This well was also drilled by the Valaris DS-9 drillship and was the first new discovery in Block 15 in nearly 20 years at the time. The related redevelopment plan includes multi-year drilling and subsea production facility upgrades, targeting approximately 40,000 barrels per day of additional crude oil production to offset the natural decline of mature fields.

Angola has extended the Block 15 production license to 2032 and supports subsequent drilling through an incremental production regime and regulatory arrangements that allow continued exploration within and adjacent to existing development areas. The Vicango Este-01 discovery well has now completed drilling, and the ANPG and ExxonMobil announcement did not disclose the resource volume, test production rate, or subsequent development plan for this discovery.