Springfield commences Afina Well appraisal to bolster oil field unitisation

The Chief Executive Officer of indigenous oil exploration and production firm, Springfield E&P, Kevin Okyere, has announced the commencement of the appraisal of the Afina-1x Well located at the West Cape Three Points (WCTP) Block 2 offshore of Ghana.

This comes after an international tribunal directed the government of Ghana to allow Springfield to work toward the completion of the long-standing Afina-Sankofa unitisation process.

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic, Kevin Okyere said the US$60 million investment for the ongoing well-test and appraisal is in fulfillment of its pledge to appraise the Afina-1x well within three months of the ruling, demonstrating its commitment to deepwater operations.

He explained that the Deepsea Bollsta Rig, which arrived at the oil field in Ghana on October 17, 2024, was contracted by Springfield from Northern Ocean, a reputable Norwegian company.

“We have a clear understanding of what being an upstream operator entails, so we have hired the best possible team with over 60 years of collective experience working for all the super-majors and majors of the world, and we work with all the best blue-chip companies to execute all technical works, studies, and drilling programs,” he is quoted by graphic.com.gh.

He added that, “Being a smaller operator but working with the same expertise and diligence as the big operators, we can make decisions swiftly to benefit all our stakeholders, including the government and people of Ghana.”

The Springfield CEO, however, noted that critical challenges have plagued the energy sector, hence their decision to move quickly and secure the Deepsea Bollsta Rig in record time.

“Our research has shown that during this busy time in the drilling industry, rigs would not be available for another year, and yet Springfield managed to find one, and drilling commenced. This has all happened within a space of three months,” he explained.

He stated that despite the challenges faced in the past, his outfit’s consistency and resilience have ensured that it has bounced back and found a solution.

“We are upbeat about the outcome of the appraisal, and the data before us is very positive,” he stated.

On July 8, 2024, the International Court of Arbitration adjudicating between the government and Eni Ghana Exploration and Production and Vitol Energy declared that the government was well within its rights under the laws of Ghana to issue a unitisation directive.

It then ruled that Springfield should do further work to complete the unitisation process within three months of the ruling and to comply with that, the firm has now secured a rig and all other technical requirements to appraise and conduct a well test on the Afina-1x well.

MA

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