Petroleum Africa
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Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Companies interested in Africa’s pre-salt potential and in particular, Gabon’s pre-salt potential, have a chance to gain a stake in the Tchicuate License (G13). Marathon Oil is looking for a partner to take 40% or more of its 100% stake in the Gabonese license.
The license is unexplored, but highly prospective with large pre-salt 3D PSDM defined prospects in a more oil prone, delta front play immediately outbound of proven oil fairway; combined resource potential is estimated to be in excess of one billion barrels recoverable
The acreage is on the highly prospective margin of the largely undrilled deeper water South Gabon Basin, and located immediately outboard of the proven producing pre-salt Etame oil fields and Dussafu discoveries in shallower water. Significantly, two of the recent pre-salt exploration wells (Diaman, Leopard) in the region have found significant amounts of hydrocarbons.
The area’s primary play consists of stacked lower Cretaceous pre-salt Gamba and Dentale sands, overlying source rocks including the highly organic Melania ‘hot shale’. This sequence was deposited in the Dentale Paleo-Trough during the early continental break up, rifting and separation of what is now Brazil and Africa. A variety of trap-types have been identified.Upside potential exists in the post-salt Cretaceous Madiela play, which is prolific in Congo and Angola.
TheTchicuate is interpreted to contain thicker delta front sediment sequences fed from the east and ponded over the hinge zone on the trough flanks. The new CGG multi-client BroadSeis PSDM 3D seismic data over the block, processed for Marathon on an accelerated basis, provides excellent imaging in the pre-salt section.
The PSC was awarded in August 2014 and is in the first exploration period, with a well commitment prior to the end of a four-year period.
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