Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has announced a second discovery of natural gas resources in the first exploration well in Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block 2 Exploration Concession, operated by Eni.
The discovery from a new deeper reservoir indicates between 1 – 1.5 trillion standard cubic feet (TSCF) of raw gas in place. The discovery from a new, deeper reservoir indicates one trillion to 1.5 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of raw gas, almost doubling the discovered field volume, Adnoc said. The latest discovery builds on the initial finding in February 2022 from a shallower target, taking the total from this single well to 2.5-3.5 trillion scf.
A consortium, led by Eni and PTT Exploration and Production Public Company (PTTEP), was awarded the exploration rights for Offshore Block 2 in 2019. Yaser Saeed Almazrouei, ADNOC Upstream ED, said: “This discovery further highlights how ADNOC’s accelerated exploration and development program is identifying untapped hydrocarbon resources, creating long-term value for the UAE. We are particularly pleased to see Eni and PTTEP pursuing deeper zones, which has demonstrated additional potential resources in place. We look forward to continuing to work with all our strategic partners to sustainably identify and further unlock Abu Dhabi’s hydrocarbon resources.”
Both discoveries leveraged insights from Adnoc’s ongoing 3D mega seismic survey, underpinning the important role the survey is playing as it utilizes state-of-the-art technologies to help identify new hydrocarbon resources across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. This latest discovery builds on previously announced exploration concession discoveries. In May 2022, Adnoc also announced the discovery of approximately 100 million barrels of oil in place in Abu Dhabi’s Onshore Block 3, operated by Occidental, while in December 2021, up to 1 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) in Onshore Block 4 Exploration Concession, which is operated by INPEX/JODCO was confirmed.
In May, Adnoc announced the discovery of about 100 million barrels of oil in Abu Dhabi’s Onshore Block 3, operated by US oil company Occidental. In December 2021, up to a billion barrels of oil equivalent in the Onshore Block 4 exploration concession, which is operated by Japan’s Inpex Corporation, was confirmed.
In recent news, ADNOC announced the award of two substantial contracts totaling $2bn to ADNOC Drilling for the Hail and Ghasha Development Project. A third contract, valued at $681m, was also awarded to ADNOC Logistics & Services. Based on existing data from detailed petroleum system studies, seismic surveys, exploration and appraisal wells data, estimates suggest the blocks hold several billion barrels of oil and several trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Adnoc said.