Adnan Adams Mohammed
The conditional appraisal approval granted by the Ghana’s Petroleum Commission(PC) for Eni’s Aprokuma-1X expired yesterday, June 30 2024, the Public Interest Accountability Committee in its 2023 annual report has indicated.
This follows after the Commission revised the initial conditional appraisal approval and indicated to Eni that it has up to June 30, 2024, to complete the appraisal and make a determination whether to drill or drop the Aprokuma discovery.
The Aprokuma well, within the Cape Three Points Block 4 drilled in 2022, discovered hydrocarbon in the Albian and Cenomanian, and an appraisal programme was submitted to the Commission. The Aprokuma-1X appraisal programme was approved. However, after further subsurface studies conducted by Eni, it established new Geological and Geophysical challenges associated with the Aprokuma discovery. This made the Commission to revise its conditional approval.
“Eni now has up to 30th June 2024 to complete the appraisal and make a determination whether to drill or drop the Aprokuma discovery”, the PIAC had reported in its 2023 annual report.
Also, upon the successful drilling of the Akoma and Eban exploratory wells in 2019 and 2021 respectively, Eni submitted a joint appraisal programme for the Akoma and Eban discoveries which was approved by the PC in 2023. Eni requested an extension of the Eban-Akoma appraisal programme in order to complete works to support the use of a Jack-up Rig for the appraisal drilling. This request was duly granted.
Meanwhile, Offshore South-West Tano (OSWT) & East Keta Operating Company Ghana Limited (EK-OPCO) are preparing to drill its obligatory exploration well in the fourth quarter of this 2024. The Partnership is currently engaging Tullow for a possible rig share opportunity.
The partners carried out well planning and drilling related procurement of goods and services in 2021 towards its exploratory activity.
PIAC in its 2023 annual report indicated this while updating the public on the activities within the upstream petroleum sector. While exploration activities continued on most of the petroleum blocks in 2023, some blocks have witnessed no activity at all.
Meanwhile, GOIL Upstream and Planet One Oil and Gas Limited’s signed Farm-in Agreement and Joint Operating Agreement on the Deepwater Cape Three Points are currently waiting for the Minister of Energy and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation for approval and consent respectively.
This comes after GOIL Upstream signed these two agreements with Planet One in December last year. Following the exit of ExxonMobil from the Deepwater Cape Three Points Contract Area in May 2021, the Minister of Energy in May 2022 assigned the 80% participating interest formerly held by ExxonMobil and operatorship of the block to GOIL Upstream.
