Marlin gas field contract
Foxtrot and partner show confidence in country's ability to emerge from downturn and power sub-region with offshore gas
IVORIAN operator Foxtrot International has awarded a three-well offshore drilling contract to Malaysian oilfield solutions provider Sapura Drilling for further development of the Marlin gas field, according to the Foxtrot consortium.
Initially set to expire early next year, the contract for tender-assist drilling rig Sapura Berani includes an option to drill one more well to expand the field production area around an existing gas well.
Foxtrot operates shallow-water block CI-27 off Jacqueville, which hosts a clutch of producing gas fields including Mahi, Marlin and Manta, all tied back to two platforms pumping an annual average of 162.7 million cubic feet per day.
The field complex also produces 1739 barrels per day of oil and condensate.
Foxtrot last month secured a 10-year extension of its CI-27 licence, now set to expire in 2034, in exchange for expenditure of $100 million for three new wells and processing facilities for gas-to-power generation.
The ultimate goal is to improve extracted gas volumes in order to strengthen the case for another thermal power plant in Ivory Coast’s energy mix, according to Foxtrot.
Foxtrot retains 24% equity in the eponymous consortium alongside state-owned Petroci on 40%, local state utility Enerci on 12% and Bouygues-related SECI on 24%, while Oslo-listed Rak Petroleum has an indirect 33.3% stake in Foxtrot via Mondoil Enterprises.
Gas is sold under a take-or-pay deal with a local power station, supplying 140 MMcfd through to 2024, or three-quarters of the country's gas needs, but the electrification and export programme pursued by Minister Abdourahmane Cisse is set to expand demand sharply.
The Ivory Coast has the third-largest electricity generating system on the continent and is a leading electricity exporter to its west African neighbours, according to the World Bank.
With installed power capacity of 2230 megawatts, Ivorian domestic demand is fully met, leaving a 10% generation surplus for export.
Close to 94% of Ivorians are now connected to the grid, with the poor receiving power at subsidised rates, and that figure is expected to grow to 99% by 2035, says the World Bank.
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