Developments in Ghana’s nascent oil sector are indicating the country’s potential to be a significant player in the world’s oil industry when commercial production begins at the end of this year.
The major stakeholder in Ghana’s oil industry, Tullow Oil has confirmed the Owo-1 well as a major field.
Tullow Oil first announced the Owo-1 well find July 26, 2010, the company said “Owo-1 exploration well in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana has intersected a significant column of excellent quality light oil. Results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids have established Owo as a major new oil field requiring further appraisal.”
It added that, the deviated well, located approximately 6km to the west of the Tweneboa wells, has encountered a gross vertical reservoir interval of 154 metres containing 53 metres of net oil pay in two zones of high quality stacked reservoir sandstones.
In a press release Monday September 13, 2010 and copied to ghanabusinessnews.com, Tullow Oil indicated that “Results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids confirm that Owo is a major new oil field.”
The release said the Owo-1 well encountered 53 metres of net oil pay and the sidetrack, drilled 0.6 km east of the Owo discovery well, encountered an additional 16 metres of net oil pay in the lower part of the same channel system. Pressure data indicates that this oil pay is in communication with the reservoirs penetrated in the Owo-1 well and confirms at least 69 metres of total net oil pay in a substantial gross oil column of 200 metres.
Beneath the Owo oil field, 13 metres of net condensate pay was also discovered, with an additional 6 metres of net gas pay logged in the deepest sand encountered. No water was encountered in any of the hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs in either well, it added.
Following completion of logging operations the well will be suspended for future use in appraisal and development.
“The Owo-1 sidetrack has proved a very substantial 200 metre gross oil column in the heart of the Owo oil field and new condensate and gas accumulations below. Appraisal wells are currently being planned to extend the main Owo oil discovery up-dip and down-dip, to appraise the adjacent Tweneboa oil and gas condensate accumulation and, to refine further our estimates of recoverable resources of both fields. The discovery of very material volumes of light oil in Owo and the fact that the oil is concentrated in high quality channel sands greatly enhances our outlook for the efficient future development of both the Owo and Tweneboa fields,” Angus McCoss, Exploration Director of Tullow said in the release.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi