Cairn Energy has revealed plans to begin more exploration and appraisal campaign offshore Senegal, in Q4 of 2016 or Q1 of 2017.

The company operates the Sangomar Deep, Sangomar Offshore and Rufisque Offshore blocks with a 40% working interest alongside ConocoPhillips, FAR Ltd and Petrosen, Senegal’s National Oil Company with 35%, 15% and 10% working interests respectively. The three blocks encompasses an area of 4,490km².

“Successful appraisal of the world-class SNE discovery in Senegal has significantly increased 2C oil resources to 473 million barrels with associated 2C oil in place in excess of 2.7 billion barrels. Drilling is scheduled to re-commence in Senegal shortly, benefiting from lower costs across the sector. The program contains options for multiple wells and in addition to ongoing appraisal of the SNE field, the Joint Venture continues to assess optimal locations for further exploration drilling on the acreage,” Simon Thomson, Chief Executive of Cairn Energy said.

After the discovery of two basin opening, SNE-1 and FAN-1, in 2014 and approval of an extensive assessment plan by the Government in 2015, the company and its JV partners concluded four appraisal and exploration wells in the SNE field in H1 of 2016.

According to Cairn, drilling operations were completed ahead of schedule and under budget with four wells completed at the estimated cost of three.

The current best estimate, for oil in place on the SNE field is more than 2.7 billion bbls gross with estimated gross recoverable contingent oil resource of 1C 274 Mmbbls, 2C 473 Mmbbls and 3C 906 Mmbbls, Offshore Energy Today reports.

Anita Fatunji