The Angolan National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANPG) and Total, operator of Block 17, have announced the start of production from the Zinia Phase 2 short cycle project, which is linked to the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading Unit (FPSO) of Pazflor.

The project includes the drilling of nine wells and is expected to reach a production of 40,000 barrels of oil per day by mid-2022.

Located in water depths from 600 to 1,200 metres and about 150 kilometres from the Angolan coast, Zinia Phase 2 resources are estimated at 65 million barrels of oil.

The development of the project was conducted according to schedule and for a CAPEX more than 10 per cent below budget, representing a saving of $150 million.

It involved more than three million manhours of work, of which two million were performed in Angola, without any incident.

ANPG CEO, Paulino Jerónimo, said Zinia Phase 2 is a key project for Angola that comes at the right time to sustain the production of the country.

“We welcome our collaboration with Total in Angola, that keeps investing with its partners in the development of the country oil resources,” he said.

President for Africa, Exploration and Production at Total, Nicolas Terraz, said the successful start-up of the project, despite the challenges that have arisen as a result of the pandemic, demonstrates Total’s commitment to ensure a sustainable output on Block 17, for which the production licence was recently extended until 2045.

“Zinia Phase 2 project reflects the quality of short cycle projects in Angola with high return on investment,” Terraz said.

Block 17 is operated by Total with a 38 per cent stake, alongside with Equinor (22.16 per cent), ExxonMobil (19 per cent), BP Exploration Angola Ltd (15.84 per cent) and Sonangol P&P (5 per cent). The contractor group operates four FPSOs in the main production areas of the block, namely Girassol, Dalia, Pazflor and CLOV.

Image credit: The Angolan National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency.