TGS’ seismic data to shed light on African country’s ‘promising’ oil & gas potential

Norway’s energy data and intelligence provider TGS has been put in charge of offshore subsurface data insights into the maturity and distribution of source rocks off the coast of Tanzania to lend a helping hand in pinpointing hydrocarbon plays, offering the energy players in the African country deeper understanding of the region’s oil and gas potential.

The deal with Tanzania’s Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Authority (PURA) will enable TGS to manage and license the country’s offshore subsurface data on behalf of the government, including 2D and 3D seismic data, covering an area of over 132,000 square kilometers.

In addition, the agreement the duo has struck gives the Norwegian player the authority not only to conduct future acquisition of new seismic data but also to reprocess existing data, and entails support for upcoming licensing rounds, which are expected to begin in 2025. 

David Hajovsky, EVP of Multi-Client at TGS, commented: “Tanzania remains an attractive exploration target with its world-class gas fields and excellent sands proven across multiple source intervals.

“By providing access to high-quality seismic data ahead of potential future licensing activities, TGS will empower exploration and production companies to evaluate opportunities in this under-explored but highly promising region of East Africa.”

According to TGS, the dataset, encompassing regional seismic and well data, will assist in identifying hydrocarbon plays and enable prospect-specific analysis and mapping of trapping configurations, unlocking greater insights into Tanzania’s oil and gas potential.

Thanks to a recent agreement, Egypt’s Rosetta Energy will transport natural gas from its small liquefaction plant in Dar es Salaam to Tanzania’s Elsewedy Industrial City (EIC), using an LNG virtual pipeline, which is said to be a more flexible and cost-effective solution than traditional fixed infrastructure pipelines. 

This virtual pipeline will be developed in line with the heads of terms (HoT) agreement the Egyptiona firm signed with Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and the Africa50 infrastructure investment platform in May 2024. 

The Norwegian firm is only days away from wrapping up its merger with PGS, which was disclosed on September 18, 2023, to create a premier energy data company. After the companies’ shareholders backed the merger in December 2023, regulatory approvals from the Norwegian Competition Authority and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) followed a few months later.

TGS expects the completion of the merger on July 1, 2024. A consortium, comprising PGS, TGS, and SLB, embarked on a multi-client 3D seismic project in April 2024 to explore the carbon storage potential across the Penyu Basin area in Malaysia.