Tullow Oil and its partners have successfully extended the highly-productive exploration play offshore Ghana, where they have made several major oil and gas discoveries including the giant Jubilee field, into neighboring Côte d’Ivoire offshore West Africa.

The Irish explorer’s Paon-1X exploration well in the CI-103 license intersected good quality light oil in a Turonian fan system. The probe is the first deepwater exploration well drilled in the license and encountered 31 m (102 ft) of net oil pay in a gross interval of 74 m (243 ft) of turbidite sands.

The company said that pressure data indicates the interval contains a continuous hydrocarbon column and samples show that it is a light oil of 41° API. Further analysis is required to determine reservoir quality and the extent of the fan system. Following completion of logging operations, the well will be suspended for possible future use in appraisal and development operations.

The Eirik Raude semisubmersible rig drilled the Paon-1X well to a final depth of 5,090 m (16,700 ft) in a water depth of 2,193 m (7,195 ft).

Angus McCoss, Tullow’s exploration director, said, “The discovery of light oil in our first well in CI-103 extends the proven play for oil westwards from our successes in Ghana and is encouraging for our future exploration efforts elsewhere in this license.”

Partner Anadarko Petroleum’s senior vice president of worldwide exploration, Bob Daniels, said the find “opens up an entirely new play for the country and our partnership. This discovery confirms the Upper Cretaceous fan system present in Ghana extends westward into Cote d’Ivoire and provides significant running room within the CI-103 block.”

Tullow, operates the CI-103 license, with 45% working interest; partnered by Anadarko, 40%; and the state oil company Societé Nationale d’Opérations Pétrolières de Côte D’Ivoire (Petroci), 15%.