French supermajor Total has signed two exploration licenses with the Mauritanian government that gives it, as operator, a 90% interest in Block C 9 in ultra deep offshore and Block Ta 29 onshore in the Taoudeni basin.
The block C 9 is located approximately 140 kilometers offshore Western Mauritania, covering an area of more than 10,000 km², in water depths ranging from 2,500 to 3,000 metres. The Block Ta 29 is located in the Saharan desert, 1,000 kilometers east from Nouakchott and north of the Block Ta 7 in which Total is already conducting exploration activities. For both blocks, a seismic acquisition campaign is planned as the first phase of the exploration program.
“With this ultra deep offshore award, we are entering into a high-potential, frontier play, known as the abrupt margin, in which major discoveries have been made recently, like in French Guyana” said Marc Blaizot, Total’s Senior Vice President, Exploration . “The license award is aligned with Total’s strategy of expanding its exploration operations into high-potential geological plays while leveraging the Group’s globally recognized ultra-deepwater expertise. The new onshore block is on the same trend as onshore Block Ta 7 on which latest exploration results show good prospectivity in this part of the Taoudeni basin.”
[mappress] Offshore Energy Today Staff, January 6, 2012;