Eni reports Cuica oil discovery offshore Angola in Block 15/06

Cuica oil discovery : Italian energy company Eni has made a new light oil discovery in Block 15/06 in the Angolan deepwaters through the drilling of the Cuica-1 NFW well.

Eni estimates the oil discovery at the Cuica prospect to be in the range of 200-250 million barrels of oil. It is located within the Cabaça Development Area, close to the Armada Olombendo FPSO at the East Hub Development Project operated by Eni.

Drilled by the Libongos drillship as a deviated well in water depth of 500m, the Cuica-1 NFW well encountered an 80m total column of reservoir of light oil (38°API), after reaching 4,100m in vertical depth.

Eni said that the Cuica oil discovery was made in sandstones of Miocene age with good petrophysical characteristics. It marks the second light oil discovery to have been pulled off by the Italian oil and gas company in Block 15/06 following the Ndungu oil discovery a couple of years ago.

The Seadrill-managed Sonangol Libongos drill ship was used for making the Cuica oil discovery in Block 15/06, Angola. Photo courtesy of Seadrill Limited.

The Cuica-1 NFW well is planned to be sidetracked updip for placing it in an optimal position as a producer well, which is expected to begin production inside the next six months.

The well is estimated to produce around 10,000 barrels of oil per day, said Eni.

Eni, commenting on the Cuica oil discovery, stated: “Cuica is the second significant oil discovery inside the existing Cabaça Development Area and confirms the Block 15/06 Joint Venture’s commitment to leverage the favourable legal framework on additional exploration activities within existing Development Areas, as promoted through the Presidential Legislative Decree No. 5/18 of 18 May 2018.

“The well-head location, intentionally placed close to East Hub’s subsea network, will allow a fast-track tie-in of the exploration well and relevant production, thus immediately creating value while extending the Armada Olombendo FPSO production plateau.”

Eni has an operating stake of 36.8% in Block 15/06. The partners of Eni in the deepwater Angolan block are state-owned company Sonangol P&P (36.8%) and SSI Fifteen (26.3%).