Africa: Tunisia

AFRICA

Cyril Widdershoven, Consultant, Sittard, Netherlands (Libya, Tunisia, Uganda, Algeria, Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal sections); Geoff H.H. King, Managing Editor, energyeuroafrica.com (Libya, Tunisia and Uganda sections); Mark Pabst, Senior Editor, Oil and Gas North Africa magazine, Cairo (Algeria, Sudan and Chad sections); David Fuller, Senior Researcher, Oil and Gas North Africa magazine, Cairo (Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal sections); and World Oil Staff

Tunisia

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Upstream work in Tunisia has been assisted by the hydrocarbon law that took effect in August 2000. Despite being a modest producer, Tunisia’s tax and legal regime has made the country an investment option in North Africa.

Exploration. Pioneer Natural Resources agreed to farm-in to three tracts (Bazma, Jorf and El Hamra) operated by Eurogas, covering 2.7 million acres in the Tagi sand play of the Ghadames basin, onshore. Pioneer will earn a 50% interest by drilling two wells over the next two years; the first, Douz 1, was spudded in late May.

Anadarko acquired a third onshore block, Sanrhar, and scheduled seismic studies this year. An exploration well may be drilled there in second-half 2001. The firm also scheduled a second well on its Anaguid block. Just south of Anaguid, Anadarko drilled a dry hole on the Jenein Nord block. Nuevo Energy entered a joint venture agreement for the 171,000-acre, Alyane offshore permit.

In 2000, Preussag Energie shot 2-D and 3-D seismic on its Maatouq, Kerkouane and Cap Bon Marine concessions. Australia’s Bligh and Canada’s Antrim Energy also re-entered the Chott Fejaj 3.

Drilling / development. The National Observatory of Energy said that drilling rose 25% in 2000. Two exploratory wells were drilled offshore – an oil completion and a dry hole. The outlook this year calls for an 87% increase, to 28 wells, including 12 offshore.

Phase I of the Isis field development 110 mi offshore Sfax remains on-track. Operator Coparex Netherlands awarded a subsea installation contract for hooking up three existing producing wells and one water injector. It also awarded a contract for a converted FPSO. First oil was due by July 2001.

In August 2000, Centurion Energy received permission to develop Al Manzah field on the Grambalia onshore permit. The firm’s Ecumed Petroleum subsidiary put the Al Manzah 1 discovery back on production and drilled the Al Manzah 2 horizontal development well (1,162-m TD). It tested up to 9,000 bopd with no water production and was put online at 4,000 bopd. Ecumed then spudded the Al Mazah 3 horizontal development well.

Oil output was down 6.5% last year after a slight gain in 1999. Natural gas production from 15 wells averaged 212 MMcfd.