BP and Kosmos Make Deepwater Gas Discovery Offshore Senegal
BP and joint venture partner Kosmos Energy have discovered gas with the Yakaar-1 exploration well offshore Senegal. Located in the Cayar Offshore Profond block approximately 95km northwest of Dakar in nearly 2,550m of water, the well was drilled to a total depth of about 4,700m. Yakaar-1, drilled by the Atwood Achiever drillship, intersected a gross hydrocarbon column of 120m in three pools within the primary Lower Cenomanian objective and encountered 45m of net pay.
Well results confirm the presence of thick, stacked, reservoir sands over a large area with good porosity and permeability. Kosmos estimates that Yakaar-1 discovered a gross Pmean gas resource of about 15tcf, in-line with pre-drill expectations. After completing operations on the Yakaar-1 well, the Atwood Achiever will mobilise to the Tortue-1 well to conduct a drillstem test on the Tortue discovery, enabling the commencement of front-end engineering and design in the second half of 2017, final investment decision in 2018, and first gas in 2021.
Yakaar-1 is the first well in a series of four independent tests of the basin floor fan fairways, outboard of the proven slope channel trend opened with the Tortue-1 discovery. Kosmos has now drilled six consecutive successful exploration and appraisal wells in this fairway with a 100% success rate. The Yakaar discovery, coupled with the Teranga discovery, creates the foundation for a further LNG hub in the basin, according to both companies.