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Wednesday, December 2, 2015
EPI Group (EPI) Ghanaian JV company, EPI SonarTusk, signed a contract to provide project management consultancy to support seismic exploration by Ghana’s state-run oil and gas company, GNPC in the Voltaian Basin. The two-year contract will see EPI support the first onshore exploration in Ghana for nearly four decades, and is intended to acquire a regional 2D seismic program within the 104,000 sq km basin.
Under the terms of the contract EPI will bring together a team of project managers, geophysicists, surveyors, QC consultants and environmentalists to define the scope of work to be carried out. It will then manage a tender process, from creating tender documents, evaluating bids from acquisition companies, and assisting GNPC in the selection and supervision of the chosen contractors. EPI will additionally develop the scope of work to process and manipulate the acquired seismic data, and support GNPC in the selection and supervision of contractors.
The Voltaian Basin covers approximately 40% of Ghana’s land mass. It is a sedimentary Neoproterozoic basin, with a number of similarities to areas in North Africa and elsewhere, which are already producing significant volumes of hydrocarbons. Exploration in such a basin carries higher risk than most conventional petroleum plays because of its age and probable geological history. Adding to the challenge is the basin being home to the Volta Lake, the world’s largest man-made lake by surface area.
Alex Mould, acting chief executive of GNPC, said: “Given the risks associated with the industry, and an onshore area for that matter, we selected EPI to manage our seismic project work because of their proven expertise in seismic exploration. We want to explore and better understand the basin and its potential for development before inviting partners to join us. We are looking forward to working together in close partnership.”
Edward Bowen, CEO at EPI, added: “The goal of the project is to produce a geological model of the basin in terms of stratigraphy, structure and petroleum geology. We will help GNPC to achieve this through an extensive program of support and knowledge transfer. A project of this size and complexity is a rare opportunity, and we are delighted to be involved in such a technically-challenging but rewarding project, supporting GNPC in its efforts to develop its extensive onshore resources.”
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