BY: Hana Saada
ALGIERS- Algeria’s state-owned energy company, Sonatrach has announced six new oil discoveries in the North African country.
Sonatrach, one of the world’s largest oil companies, said in a statement that the discoveries were made in the first quarter of this year.
Two wells were discovered in Amguid in east-central Algeria, with one yielding around 5,599 barrels per day of crude oil and over 170,000 cubic meters of gas per day, the firm said, quoted by Al monitor.
Two other sites were discovered in southern Algeria, in Berkine. The first well had an output of 129,048 cubic meters per day of gas and 239 bpd of condensates in the first well, according to the statement. The second pumped 1,905 bpd of crude and 137,484 cubic meters of gas.
The other discoveries were made in Ohanet in the southwest, with gas production of more than 336,000 cubic meters and 1,504 bpd of condensates.
2022 year of discoveries for Sonatrach; Algeria’s “golden goose”
Sonatrach made a series of new hydrocarbon discoveries that can increase Algeria’s reserves and strengthen its position internationally as a reliable supplier of hydrocarbons, in a global context marked by a strong demand. Between 2020 and 2022, no less than 35 new hydrocarbon discoveries were recorded, including 34 discoveries in Sonatrach’s own effort.
In the first quarter of the 2022 alone, Sonatrach made three new discoveries of oil deposits, including a major discovery at the Touggourt perimeter, with a deposit estimated at one billion barrels. In partnership with the Italian ENI, the Sonatrach group announced, last March, another major oil discovery in the Zemlet El Arbi research perimeter, in the Berkine basin.
Sonatrach announced, last June, the discovery of a significant gas condensate deposit (Lias Carbonaté “LD2” deposit) in the Hassi R’mel field in the Algerian Sahara, the exploitation of which will begin as of November, with a production capacity of 10 million cubic meters per day, as declared by the project manager, Loucif Youcef. The deposit is estimated to have between 100 and 340 billion cubic metres of gas condensate. These volumes constitute one of the largest revaluations of reserves in the last 20 years.
In July, Sonatrach announced three other discoveries, including two gas discoveries based on its effort, and another oil discovery in partnership with the Italian company Eni. In the Illizi basin, Sonatrach made a gas and condensate discovery with its In Ekker Sud West-1 exploration well in the In Amenas 2 licence. Sonatrach also drilled a successful delineation well in its Taghit licence in the Bechar basin, opening up what appears to be a new gas play. The third discovery — made by Sonatrach and partner Eni in the prolific Berkine basin — will also be fast-tracked to production.
In August, another important oil discovery was made by the State-run oil firm Sonatrach at Haasi Illatou in the region of Sbaa (wilaya of Adrar), with an estimated output of 151 million barrels, a very encouraging result. This discovery comes 28 years after the last discovery of oil in Foukroun in the perimeter of Sbaa.
