Eni has made a new deepwater oil discovery estimated to contain up to 300 million barrels of light oil in place in Block 15/06 at the Kalimba exploration prospect offshore Angola, the company said June 26.

The Kalimba-1 NFW well, located about 50 km southeast of the Armada Olombendo FPSO, proved 23 meters net of high-quality (33° API) oil pay in Upper Miocene sandstones with excellent petrophysical properties, Eni said. Data acquired indicate a production capacity of more than 5,000 barrels of oil per day.

“The discovery opens new opportunities for oil exploration in the southern part of Block 15/06, so far considered mainly gas prone, thus creating new chances for additional potential value in the block,” Eni said in a news release.

Reaching a total depth of 1,901 m, the well was drilled by the West Gemini drillship in a water depth of 458 m, said Eni, which serves as operator with 36.8421% interest. Partners are Sonangol P&P (36.8421%) and SSI Fifteen Limited (26.3158%).

Next steps for the joint venture include working to appraise updip of the discovery and starting studies to fast track its development, Eni said.

Eni currently has two oil projects underway in Block 15/06— West Hub and East Hub—that together produce about 150,000 barrels per day (bbl/d).

“The next start-ups in Block 15/06 this year will be the Upper Miocene in the East Hub and the subsea boosting system for the Mpungi Field,” Eni said. The company added the Vandumbu Field, which will be connected to the West Hub, will start production by year-end 2018 ahead of plan. “These start-ups will add further 30,000 barrels of oil to the overall production from Block 15/06, which in 2019 will exceed 170,000 bbl/d gross.”

Offshore