Springfield E&P has announced the contracting of the Deepsea Bollsta rig from Northern Ocean Limited (NOL) to lead the appraisal of the Afina-1x well on its deep offshore block, WCTP-2, in Ghana.
In partnership with GNPC and GNPC Explorco, the strategic initiative underscores Springfield’s commitment to advancing Ghana’s oil production by aiming to finalize the unitization of the Afina-Sankofa fields to ultimately bring significant value to the government of Ghana and all stakeholders involved.
A statement from the company said the well test with the Deepsea Bollsta rig would commence in October. Other blue chip service companies, both local and international have been engaged to offer support services related to the upcoming operations.
Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Kevin Okyere, Chief Executive Officer of Springfield said: “I am hoping that our tenacity and persistence will inspire Ghanaians and the youth across Africa to know that they can all dare to dream and achieve anything they want.”
On July 8th, the International Court of Arbitration ruled that Springfield should do further work to complete the unitization process. Following that, and to comply with the ruling, Springfield has worked swiftly on securing a rig and all other technical requirements to appraise and do a well test on Afina-1x well.
“Together with GNPC and GNPC-Explorco, we are excited to work with Northern Ocean on this historic drilling campaign as the first independent African company to operate in deep water,” the statement said.
Arne Jacobsen, Chief Executive Officer of NOL, commented: “We are excited to announce this strategic alliance agreement with Springfield, which is an important step in the company’s plan to build a solid order backlog.
“In addition, this alliance creates the foundation for NOL and Springfield to work as partners to deliver first-in-class operation with our tier 1 HE rigs. Springfield is an important operator in Ghana, and we are eager to build a long-term relationship with this esteemed company.”
Springfield Exploration and Production Limited was incorporated in March 2008 to pursue exploration and production opportunities in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The process of acquiring a block began in 2012, but the Government of Ghana finally awarded it in March 2016. The Company is currently the Operator and Majority Interest Holder of West Cape Three Points Block 2 with the Ghana National Petroleum Company and its exploration wing, GNPC-explorco holding the remaining interest.
In October 2019, the Afina-1 well made two discoveries that included gas, critical and light oil at a water depth of 1030 metres.
This discovery more than doubled Springfield’s proven oil reserves on the Block to 1.5 billion barrels and added almost 1TCF of gas to the existing discoveries.
The Deepsea Bollsta, a semi-submersible managed by Odfjell Drilling Limited, has successfully completed its five-year class survey in Namibia and will be heading to Ghana for its next assignment.
