Brulpadda

Brulpadda Gas Condensate Field Project Profile

Location and Geology

• The Brulpadda gas condensate field is located on Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin, approximately 175 kilometers offshore the southern coast of South Africa.
• The field is situated within the Paddavissie Fairway, a hydrocarbon-rich area in the southwest corner of Block 11B/12B, characterized by deep marine fan sandstone systems within combined stratigraphic/structural closure.

Discovery and Exploration

• The Brulpadda field was discovered in February 2019 by TotalEnergies (then Total) using the Odfjell Deepsea Stavanger semi-submersible rig. The discovery well, Brulpadda-1AX, was drilled in approximately 1,400 meters of water to a total depth of 3,633 meters.
• The well encountered 57 meters of net gas condensate pay in high-quality Middle to Lower Cretaceous reservoirs. Core samples and a comprehensive logging and sampling program were conducted to assess the reservoirs.

Reserves and Resources

• The Brulpadda field is estimated to hold approximately 1.3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas and 80 million barrels of condensate.
• In terms of oil equivalent, the field is estimated to contain at least 275 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), with about 70% of the reserves being gas.

Development Plan

• The project will be developed in a phased manner. The initial phase involves drilling at least three gas-producing wells at the Luiperd field, which will be connected to the existing F-A gas production platform operated by PetroSA. However, the Brulpadda field will also be developed as part of this broader project.
• The second phase will include the drilling of up to 17 additional wells and the construction of an additional gas production facility to process more than twice the gas and condensate volumes of the existing F-A platform.

Infrastructure and Production

• The gas produced from the Brulpadda and Luiperd fields will be supplied to PetroSA’s gas-to-liquid (GTL) refinery at Mossel Bay for processing. Additionally, gas will be transferred to Eskom’s 740MW Gourikwa oil-fired power plant through a 90km-long pipeline for power generation.

Partners and Ownership

• The Block 11B/12B is operated by TotalEnergies with a 45% working interest. Other partners include Qatar Petroleum (25%), Canadian Natural Resources (CNR, 20%), and Main Street, a South African consortium (10%), which is owned by Arostyle Investments (51%) and Africa Energy (49%).

Economic and Social Impact

• The project is expected to reduce South Africa’s reliance on gas imports and provide an alternative to coal-dominated energy generation. It will also support the operations of PetroSA’s GTL refinery, which has struggled with sourcing natural gas.
• The development of the Brulpadda and Luiperd fields is projected to create 1,500 direct jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs, and boost South Africa’s annual GDP by 22 billion rand. It will also benefit the country’s balance of payments by eliminating the need for oil and refined product imports and generate significant taxes and royalties for the government.

Regulatory and Timeline

• The production right application for the project was submitted in September 2022, and the final investment decision (FID) is targeted for 2023. First gas production from the project is expected by the end of 2025.

Additional Prospects and Future Development

• The success at Brulpadda and Luiperd has de-risked other similar prospects on Block 11B/12B, including Platanna, Woudboom, and Blaasop in the Paddavissie Fairway, and additional prospects in the Kloofpadda Fairway. These discoveries open up potential for future exploration and development in the Outeniqua Basin and other basins in South Africa.