Oil and gas operators active in the MSGBC region could be drilling in water depths of up to 4,000 meters by 2030, according to Karyna Rodriguez, Vice President of Global New Ventures at Searcher Seismic, who highlighted the commercial potential for deepwater exploration in the region.
“Can we drill in deep water? The answer is yes. Senegal is ready. By 2030, oil companies will have the technical capacity to drill up to 4,000 meters in the basin,” Rodriguez stated, noting that while technically complex, deepwater exploration has yielded strong results in other markets across the continent, most notably Namibia.
Rodriguez pointed to the Orange Basin as proof of concept, stating: “People used to say deepwater is not commercial, but now we have the Orange Basin as an example that yes, it is possible.” With over 15 billion barrels discovered there, Rodriguez noted shared characteristics between the Orange Basin in southern Africa and the MSGBC basin, including contourites, mass-transport complexes, basin floor fans, and widespread pockmarks and oil seeps.
The MSGBC Basin, according to Rodriguez, offers “low-risk, high-reward exploration” due to thick sedimentary sections exceeding 2,500 meters, Jurassic to Albian source rocks, higher geothermal gradients, long-distance reservoir transport, and large counter-regional trap geometries.
Source: energycapitalpower.com