The following articles were published in an Oil & Gas Magazine from 1997 to 2002. I will posting other articles leading to the signing of the Petrolium Licnce in separate mails. ------------------------- Minnows sniff out Gambian prospects 13.12.1997 THE TINY west African state of Gambia is witnessing a quiet revival of interest in its long neglected exploration frontiers. A trickle of potential explorers is returning to examine the potential of the anglophone enclave, spurred by slower than expected progress in restarting the hydrocarbon search in neighbouring Senegal where rebel activity is dampening interest. Gambian Petroleum Commissioner Kabar Jawara has been actively courting industry attention at international conferences from Cape Town to Accra, and this appears to have borne fruit. Current interest is understood to focus on block G-9, close to where Chevron drilled duster Jammah-1 back in the 1970s. All of Gambia's offshore blocks 1 to 9 remain open. Geologists at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Development, which is responsible for administering oil exploration, are now dusting off dossiers compiled in the Eighties, when seismic done by Petro-Canada identified both onshore and offshore prospects in very deep strata. It is hoped the application of modern interpretation techniques can replace earlier gloom with optimism. Gambia's model clauses are all negotiable, including the range within which royalties are calculated, and no adjustments to the legislation are currently planned. Industry sources indicate that in the last few weeks at least five companies have shown interest in the data and most of these will know by the end of January if they intend to proceed. Potential prospectors include Denver-based Wavetech Geophysical, which is already active in the Ivory Coast, US outfit Sun Island and a clutch of West Australian companies - - Balmain Resources, West Oil and Ikoda. Perth-based Ikoda and West Oil have a tie-up arrangement targeting the African market. Wavetech's Abidjan office admits to an interest in the play but says it cannot follow through until it knows where current negotiations are headed with Senegal state company Petrosen. The US company is engaged in processing work for Petroci in the Ivory Coast but is now angling to interest Petrosen in a deal that would give it project management of open competitive tenders when the country's exploration drive restarts. ---------------------- Plodding progress frustrates explorers 20.05.1997 SLOW progress in identifying and promoting fresh hydrocarbon prospects in Senegambia is sapping exploration and investment interest in the region, say industry sources. The geographical area, which encompasses the administratively separate countries of Senegal and Gambia, has seen companies come and go despite signs of promising petroleum potential. Heavy oil has been discovered off Senegal's Casamance province and there are good gas prospects in the north. But Upstream understands Irish independent gas producer Tullow Oil is shifting its focus from Senegal to east Africa where it is tipped this month to clinch an onshore-offshore tract in Tanzania. British geological consultancy Broadway Hydrocarbons is understood to have glanced at the Senegambian play but is not considering serious involvement as yet. PetroCanada is also looking increasingly to east Africa despite having done much to promote Senegambia's potential including seismic sweeps in 1983 and 1991. A number of companies got interested but quickly backed out, laments Fansu Nyassi, Gambia's deputy commissioner for petroleum. Blocks have been designated and periodic discussions held but so far no company has committed to a work programme, although we are trying to promote these areas, especially offshore , said Nyassi. ----------------------- Gas find ignites Senegal hopes 18.03.1997 SENEGAL national oil company Petrosen has completed testing a gas discovery on its onshore Gadiaga play near the capital Dakar. The company hopes the find will help it attract foreign participants whose financial clout will be needed to prove up the area's gas potential. Petrosen is currently preparing a package including seismic re-interpretation and revised reserve estimates for the area, first drilled by Shell in the mid- 1970s. Gas shows were encountered then but last month's discovery well GD- 2, renamed Thies, tested successfully from two zones in the late cretaceous, flowing 10 million cubic feet a day and 5 MMcfd respectively. That has prompted unconfirmed speculation that reserves could exceed 120 Bcf. Documents will be sent out to potential partners in July but Petrosen insists it does not require their participation to proceed with its planned four-well exploration programme, which is scheduled for completion before the end of the year. The highly prospective Maastritchian formation extends from the country's southern Casamance region into the continental shelf. Thies is located only five kilometres from the coast, fuelling earlier rumours that the country has serious offshore potential. Talk of offshore oil prospects always centered on Senegal's southern territories and along the disputed maritime boundary with neighbouring Guinea Bissau. This problem is now resolved but interested companies have to work with the international Agency for Management and Co-operation based in Dakar, which was recently set up to supervise activities in the zone. While Elf is no longer pursuing prospects in the area, Upstream understands that Shell has continued to demonstrate its interest in the province. Petrosen is focusing on the prospect of exporting gas- fuelled power to Gambia, Mali and Guinea Bissau, where agreements are close to being signed. To achieve this, the existing 250 megawatt generating station at Cap de Biche near Dakar will have to undergo expansion and gas production will need to be stepped up. The only producing field, Diamniado, is run by Irish independent Tullow in equal partnership with Petrosen. One well supplies a maximum of 10 MMcfd to the grid, depending on demand, but Tullow plans to drill up to three additional producers this year to tap reserves estimated at 200 Bcf. ··ALGERIAN state oil company Sonatrach has been invited to explore for oil in Senegal by Petrosen. The invitation was made in Algiers at the close of the Algeria-Senegal Joint Economic Commission last week. There has been no preparation for such a venture on either side and the move appears to represent political intent rather than a commercial proposition. Sonatrach lacks the necessary expertise to explore Senegal's main oil prospects, which are thought to lie offshore. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~