Don't forget one of the oil and gas journals (or was it a poster?) was quoted as saying Sinopec first thought there was enough gas for a few FPSOs and then they thought there might not even be enough for one. So if that is accurate I would sure not lay it on Ntephe for initially having the same optimism that Sinopec allegedly initially had and for saying they would know the "nature" of what they had discovered with a smile. Seeing as he might have thought the "nature" of it was natural gas and the quantity was quite a lot as Sinopec did.
What, exactly made Sinopec change their outlook and when they changed their outlook would sure be interesting to know. Or, did their outlook really change or was it just their public outlook?
I will keep my trust in Ntephe. I was interested to see in the CC that when asked why he was still optimistic about the JDZ, he only mentioned Total and the other prospects, but apparently dismissed the prospects that had been drilled. So going by that, it looks like Sinopec actually did change their view on the drilling results. Either that or Ntephe continues to be an excellent "downplayer" of the results (as the master plan calls for, according to Ledbetter).