Springfield’s Afina-1x well appraisal progressing steadily, on schedule

The appraisal of Springfield Exploration and Production Limited’s (Springfield E&P) Afina-1x well is progressing well and on schedule in line with the company’s quest to fulfil the demands of the International Court of Arbitration to conclude the unitisation deal.

Springfield E&P contracted the Deepsea Bollsta rig, a semi-submersible being managed by Odfjell Drilling Limited, to appraise the well following the July 8, 2024 ruling by the International Court of Arbitration that mandated Springfield to conduct additional work to complete the unitisation process.

The court was of the view that Springfield needed to further demonstrate that the two fields were connected and it also introduced a new dimension of dynamic communication.

The appraisal of the block, located within the deep water block WCTP-2, involves testing the flow of oil in the reservoir and obtaining the well productivity data.

The bloc, reputed to contain substantial reserves, is managed by Springfield in partnership with the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

The field shares boundaries with Sankofa field being operated by the Italian oil company, Eni Ghana which is currently producing next to it.

Mr Wilem Drogt, Wsell Test Supervisor, Deepsea Bollsta rig, speaking to journalists during a tour of offshore Afina field aboard the Deepsea Bollsta, one of the most advanced rigs in the industry said he was excited about the progress of work.

He said the objective of the appraisal was to get hydrocarbons and see how big the reservoir was adding that he was optimistic about completing the project on schedule.

Springfield E&P contracted 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.

Other blue chip service companies, both local and international have been engaged to offer support services related to the upcoming operations.

The court held the view that Springfield has not yet demonstrated how much the well can flow, and they also introduced a new dimension that is not in Ghana’s laws, which is a dynamic communication.

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.”

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.

Springfield is a company that adheres to and respects all judicial decisions, both national and international.

“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.

The success of this campaign will result in Springfield being the first independent African producer in deep water as well.

“Northern Ocean’s impressive track record, efficiency and expertise make them the ideal choice for Springfield as together, we have managed to plan and execute this drilling campaign in the shortest possible time, which will be unprecedented.

We look forward to building a mutually beneficial long-term relationship that brings significant value to all our stakeholders.”

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 headed to Ghana for the assignment.