Accra, Oct. 24, GNA- Springfield Exploration and Production Limited has launched a new appraisal campaign on the Afina 1-x field in line with the demands of the international arbitration tribunal.
In its ruling in July 2024, the international arbitration tribunal called for further works before the unitisation of the Afina and Sankofa fields due to evidence that both fields belong to the same reservoir.
The arbitration had stalled Springfield’s efforts since the company first made the discovery of hydrocarbons at the field five years ago.
Springfield in partnership with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) announced the arrival of a semi-submersible rig, Deepsea Bollsta, to begin a month-long appraisal of the oil block located offshore in the Western Region.
“We are complying with the directives and we are going ahead to drill this appraisal well so that we can finally finish and stop the decline of Ghana’s production and hopefully help add more production to the oil and gas industry in Ghana,” Springfield’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kevin Okyere told a media briefing to announce the start of the process.
Mr Okyere expressed the company’s excitement at the beginning of the process, adding that a successful completion could add some 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) to national production.
“I am pleased to announce that the Mobile Offshore Drilling Unit, the Deepsea Bollsta, has arrived in Ghana and commenced re-entry and the Drill Stem Test of Afina 1-x in line with the Appraisal Programme,” he explained.
“This exercise will take about a month to six weeks due to how complicated and complex these operations are,” the CEO explained.
Mr Okyere also dismissed as false the statement that the appraisal had been done and the results were not in line with the unitisation directive.
“There is no such evidence. The rig just got down a few days ago. We haven’t even gotten anywhere. We just started mobilizing and doing the work,” he said.
“The rig just got to Ghana a few days ago. We just commenced implementation of our appraisal programme and we are yet to acquire the relevant data from our appraisal activities, process the said data and submit our appraisal report,” he affirmed.
He said the company’s lawyers understand were actually writing to the person to apologize and retract the statement to avoid legal action.
“We are very optimistic that within the next six months, after completion, we will start making some positive progress and helping add more production to Ghana’s produce,” he added.
Assets Head, West Cape Point Three (WCPT) Block 2, Jerry Greenfields of GNPC, praised the swift mobilisation: “Within the space of three months, we are able to mobilize this rig. It is a feat that is rarely achieved by the major companies. They are not able to mobilize that quickly.”
Springfield has invested heavily in the appraisal, committing approximately US$65 million to the campaign, taking its total expenditure overall to over US$200 million, the CEO said.
Dr. Thomas Manu, Springfield’s Vice President Exploration and Production for explained that the DST will assess the flow rate of the well.
“We will measure the rate, shut it in for a period of time, let the pressure build up again, and then open it again a number of times. And then we believe that we will satisfy that condition that was required by the court,” he stated, whilst assuring stakeholders that it will adhere to stringent safety protocols.
GNA