BP Oman has commenced appraisal work targeting the Amin reservoir in the northern area of its Block 61 licence in central Oman, a move that together with its Khazzan tight gas development (Phase 1) and Block Extension, could see the energy major producing volumes equating to around half of the Sultanate’s current combined gas output by 2020. According to Country Manager Yousuf al Ojaili (pictured), appraisal work on the Amin reservoir began around two weeks ago as part of efforts to test the performance of the reservoir, as well as appraise volumes and gas quality. At the same time, a developmental plan is under formulation covering the Block Extension in the south and west of the concession, a Heads of Agreement (HoA) for which was inked recently with the Omani government, he said.
Speaking at the annual media briefing hosted by the Ministry of Oil & Gas, Al Ojaili said the two initiatives along with the ongoing Phase 1 Khazzan development could see BP Oman — a partnership of BP (60 per cent) and Oman Oil E&P (40 per cent) — producing around 1.5 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas per day by the year 2020. “Khazzan, as we all know, is the single largest project currently under execution in the Sultanate, targeting very tight natural gas reservoirs with condensate. Phase 1 is targeted to add around 30 per cent to domestic gas production. If we combine the Block Extension phase, this contribution goes up to 40 per cent, and we succeed in the Northern Area appraisal, then we will be delivering gas equivalent to more than 50 per cent of current domestic production,” he stated.
Overall project completion has crossed the 65 per cent mark, with around 31 wells drilled so far, the Country Manager said. The well count is projected to rise to 50 wells when Phase 1 commissioning commences next year, he stated. Construction work on a giant complex of facilities at Khazzan has reached the 60-65-per cent mark, said Al Ojaili, with an army of around 11,000 workers focused on delivering a Central Processing Facility with two gas processing trains and condensate processing facilities, along with an expansive gas gathering system, power generation system, water treatment plant and road network, among other components.
