Luiperd gas condensate discovery : French oil and gas giant Total claims to have pulled off a significant gas and condensate discovery on the Luiperd prospect on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin in South African waters.

The new gas condensate discovery is located 175 kilometers off the southern coast of the country. Total said that it follows the Brulpadda gas condensate discovery made in the same block last year, thereby paving the way for creating a new gas play in South Africa.

According to Total, the Luiperd gas condensate discovery was made after the Luiperd well was spudded to a total depth of nearly 3,400 meters when it had intersected 73 meters of net gas condensate pay in well-developed good quality Lower Cretaceous reservoirs.

The French oil and gas company said that a comprehensive coring and logging program will be undertaken after which the well will be tested to evaluate the dynamic reservoir characteristics and also deliverability.

Map showing the Luiperd gas condensate discovery in Outeniqua Basin. Map courtesy of Qatar Petroleum.

Commenting on the Luiperd gas condensate discovery, Arnaud Breuillac – Total President Exploration & Production, said: “We are very pleased with this second discovery and its very encouraging results, which prove the world-class nature of this offshore gas play.

‘’With this discovery and the successful seismic acquisitions, Total and its partners have acquired important data on the Paddavissie fairway, which will help to progress development studies and engage with South African authorities regarding the possible conditions of the gas commercialization.”

The Block 11B/12B spans an area of 19,000 square kilometers, with water depths in the range of 200 meters-1,800 meters. Total is the operator of the offshore South African block with a 45% stake and is partnered by Qatar Petroleum (25%), CNR international (20%) and a South African consortium called Main Street, which holds the remaining 10% stake.

Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi – Qatar Minister of State for Energy Affairs, and the President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, commenting on the Luiperd gas condensate discovery said: “We are pleased to announce this second discovery in our joint exploration project in South Africa. The initial well results are better than anticipated, and they offer a great opportunity to pursue further exploration and appraisal activities in this area, and to look into integrated commercialization of these findings in alignment with all stakeholders.”

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