By Pratap John/Chief Business Reporter
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In its first gas discovery in some 42 years, Qatar yesterday announced the discovery of a new gas field, Block 4 North, which is estimated to contain about 2.5tn cubic feet (tcf) of recoverable gas.
Block 4 North is a 544 sq km offshore acreage located in the “most prolific” hydrocarbon basin in the area, some 30 to 40km northwest of Qatar’s giant North Field, which was discovered in 1971 and that contains 900tcf of recoverable gas.
This offshore block is in direct proximity to the North Field at a water depth of around 70 metres.
Gas discovery in Block-4N has been made after four years of intensive exploration activities, including the drilling of two exploration wells.
The announcement was made by HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada in the presence of senior executives of the German company Wintershall, with which Qatar Petroleum had entered into an exploration and production sharing agreement (EPSA) for Block 4 North in November 2008.
Mitsui Gas Development Qatar joined in 2010 by acquiring 20% of the contractor’s interest under the EPSA with Wintershall retaining 80% interest and operatorship.
The Block-4N exploration agreement, which has now achieved its goal, is dedicated for Khuff gas exploration.
Al-Sada called it “an important gas discovery for Qatar”.
He said: “This is the first gas discovery since we declared the North Field gas in 1971. The other significant aspect is that this shows our commitment to continue exploration activities. As we speak we have some six active blocks in addition to this (Block 4 North). Companies from all over the world are working with us to materialise the vision of the HH the Emir. The Emir is continuously following up on our exploration activities.
“We have been progressing exploration activities in Block 4 North with our partners, for the past few years as part of our strong exploration drive, which is in line with HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani’s vision to continue to prudently explore and develop our natural resources and increase Qatar’s hydrocarbon reserves. We are very pleased that we have found a new gas discovery in Qatar.”
Al-Sada thanked QP, Wintershall, and Mitsui teams “for their dedicated and genuine efforts in successfully conducting professional exploration studies and safe operations, which have led to this gas discovery”.
Wintershall CEO Rainer Seele expressed happiness with the results of the wells in Block 4 North.
“Wintershall has been actively exploring in Qatar for more than 30 years and we are pleased with the results of the wells in Block 4 North,” he said.
“We are looking forward to proving our capabilities as a reliable and technically competent operator and partner, and to extend the excellent working relationship with QP in this potential future development.”
