Oil
BW Energy discovers 8–9mbbl at Dussafu appraisal wells
Offshore appraisal drilling by BW Energy at the Dussafu field in Gabon has confirmed commercial oil volumes totalling up to nine million barrels.
Key points
- Appraisal wells 10P2 and 10P1 identified 8–9 million barrels of combined gross recovery.
- BW Energy holds a 73.5% operating interest in the Dussafu licence.
- A future production well at the 10P2 site is expected to yield over 5,000 barrels per day.
What happened
BW Energy has announced commercial oil finds following appraisal drilling at the Dussafu field offshore Gabon, according to Offshore Technology. The 10P2 and 10P1 wells identified an estimated combined gross recovery of 8 to 9 million barrels.
The 10P2 well encountered a 30-metre oil column in the Gamba reservoir, with testing indicating strong porosity and permeability. The operator anticipates that a future production well at this location could generate initial gross output exceeding 5,000 barrels of oil per day, with a payback period of under a year. Meanwhile, the 10P1 well intersected a 16-metre oil column in a separate accumulation.
BW Energy operates the Dussafu licence with a 73.5% stake. Panoro Energy holds 17.5%, and the Gabon Oil Company retains the remaining 9%.
Why it matters
The successful appraisal results support ongoing development activities, including the Bourdon phase one programme, which targets first oil in the first quarter of 2028. BW Energy plans to integrate a new well at the 10P2 site into its current production schedule alongside four new MaBoMo phase two production wells.
Fuel exports account for 54% of merchandise exports in Gabon, according to 2023 World Bank figures. Continued offshore discoveries bolster the hydrocarbon sector's contribution to the national economy.
What comes next
Drilling operations are shifting to the MaBoMo facility for electrical submersible pump replacement and subsequent phase two development drilling. Long-term projections for the Dussafu asset aim for a gross production target of 30,000 to 45,000 barrels of oil per day, backed by recent lease financing secured for the Bourdon field platform.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Crude benchmarks move budgets, currencies and inflation in producer and importer countries alike. For economies such as Nigeria, where fuels dominate exports, production and refining decisions move the whole economy.
54.0% of Gabon’s merchandise exports were fuels in 2023Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
