Benguela

Benguela Oil Field Profile

Location and Geology

• The Benguela Oil Field is located offshore in Block 14 of the Angolan continental shelf.
• Specifically, it is situated in the Benguela Province, approximately at the coordinates -5.4833, 11.5 (WGS 84).

Project Overview

• The Benguela Oil Field is part of the larger Benguela Belize-Lobito Tomboco (BBLT) Oil Project, which includes the Benguela, Belize, Lobito, and Tomboco fields.
• This project is a deepwater development, with the Benguela-Belize Lobito-Tomboco (BBLT) platform being a drilling and production platform (DPP) supported by a compliant piled tower in 1,281 feet of water.

Operators and Ownership

• As of the latest updates, the operator of the Benguela Oil Field is Azule Energy, although historical operations were managed by Chevron.
• The current ownership structure includes:
  • Azule Energy: 35.0%
  • Equinor: 30.0%
  • Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção: 25.0%
  • Acrep SA: 10.0%.

History and Development

• The discovery of the Benguela Oil Field was announced by Chevron in 1998.
• Appraisal wells for Benguela and Belize were drilled in 2000, and the Lobito oil field was discovered the same year.
• Major contract awards for the development of Block 14 were announced by ChevronTexaco in 2003. The compliant tower was installed in April 2005, and the topsides were installed in May 2005.
• First oil production from the Belize field began in 2006, and production from the Benguela field followed as part of the BBLT development.

Production and Reserves

• The Benguela Oil Field has estimated ultimate recoverable reserves (EUR) of 750 million barrels of oil as of 2010.
• The annual production from the field was reported to be approximately 2.77 million barrels per year as of 2007.

Infrastructure and Contractors

• The BBLT platform is supported by a compliant piled tower, which was the first such structure installed outside of the Gulf of Mexico. It supports over 40,000 short tons of topsides and includes 40 well slots.
• Key contractors involved in the project include:
  • Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME): Engineering, procurement, construction, and installation of production facilities and pipelines.
  • KCA/Deutag: Engineering, procurement, and construction of the platform drilling rig.
  • Mustang Engineering: Conceptual and detailed design of the compliant piled tower.
  • Heerema Marine Contractors: Installation of the Benguela-Belize compliant tower.

Current Status

• The field is currently operating under Azule Energy, with ongoing production activities as part of the BBLT project.

Additional Context

While the Benguela Oil Field is a significant part of Angola's oil production, the country is also investing in downstream projects to enhance its refining capabilities. For example, the proposed Lobito refinery, located in the same province, aims to increase Angola's domestic crude processing capacity and reduce dependence on refined product imports. However, this refinery project is separate from the Benguela Oil Field operations.