Here's one of the older (March 2005) Upstream articles referencing NBL's 3 back to back wells:
Tension on the rise off West Africa
00:05 GMT
Tensions mounted among suitors vying for a slice of the Joint Development Zone in the Gulf of Guinea, writes Barry Morgan.
The Abuja-based Joint Development Authority administered by Nigeria and Sao Tome is keen to award blocks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, but has been delayed by a last-ditch attempt by ExxonMobil to secure a block in partnership with Anadarko Petroleum.
The supermajor now has until 9 April to decide whether to take up its 25% priority equity in Block 4 or bail out entirely. ExxonMobil had wanted an operatorship but knows it cannot easily achieve this as it did not even bid.
For its part, Anadarko may be prepared to farm in to ExxonMobil's Block 4 if it is guaranteed an operatorship, which Nigeria is loath to give.
The JDA already has a fast-track commitment from Noble Energy to sink three wells back-to-back and that is the kind of action Nigeria wants.
Blocks 2 & 3 are said to have been decided in favour of priority rights holder ERHC Energy and its US partners Pioneer Natural Resources and Devon Energy, leaving Block 4 as the only other key licence undecided.
barry.morgan
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