NG News: Usan Field - Nigeria’s Crude Output Set to Hit 2.7mbpd
06 Dec 2011
By Ejiofor Alike
- x THis Day -
Nigeria’s crude oil production, including condensates is set to hit 2.8million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) from the current level of 2.6million boepd.
This followed the development that Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of French oil giant, is set to increase its crude oil production capacity from the current level of 470,000boepd to 650,000boepd in the first quarter of 2012.Total’s planned increase in crude oil production capacity will boost the country’s export capacity.
The Managing Director of Total Upstream companies in Nigeria, Mr. Guy Maurice, who disclosed his company’s plan to increase capacity at a recent oil conference in Lagos, said the increase would come from the company’s second deepwater field, the Usan project, which will begin production with a capacity of 180,000bpd in the first quarter of 2012.
He noted that since the year 2000, the company had been systematically building its production capacity from about 250,000bpd in the year 2000, to over 470,000bpd in 2010.
“Our strategy is clear – to sustain this growth, through very active exploration. Our first deepwater field in Nigeria, Akpo, came on stream in the first quarter of 2009 on schedule, with an estimated production capacity of 175,000bpd and is actually doing more, today.
Our second deepwater development, Usan project, whose Floating Production, Storage Offshore (FPSO) vessel is already in Nigerian waters since October, is currently undergoing intense activities in preparation for first oil, due on stream by the first quarter of 2012, with about 180,000bpd production capacity,” he said.
Maurice noted that the company’s third deepwater field, the Egina project had a planned production capacity of 200,000bpd and would come on stream in 2015.
He stated that Total was the operator in eight oil blocks and non-operator in 41 blocks in Nigeria.
In the upstream business, Maurice said by the first quarter of 2012, the company would have six operating FPSOs and FPUs in the Gulf of Guinea in offshore West Africa, from Angola to Nigeria.
He further stated that by 2018, the number of the company’s operating FPSOs and FPUs would have increased to at least 11 in West African countries.
Speaking on the state of Nigeria’s crude oil reserves, Maurice, who was represented by the company’s General Manager in charge of Exploration, Dr. Kingsley Ojoh, stated that at a production rate of 2.4million barrels per day, the country depleted over 1billion barrels of crude oil yearly, without any replacement.
Maurice said this rate of depletion would exhaust the country’s oil resources in the next 37 years.
Citing Oil and Gas Journal, Maurice disclosed that Nigeria holds 10th largest crude oil reserves in the world but this represented only about 2.3per cent of the world’s reserves, which he estimated at 1.4trillion barrels.
He also said that with 753billion in reserves, the Middle East ranks first, while Africa takes the fourth position, with 124billion barrels.
“African population today is one billion people, similar to India and comparable to China. Africa has bright future full of opportunities and is a good business partner for Total,” he said
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