Total Assigns Two More Mauritanian Blocks
Total announced December 12 that it has signed an agreement for two new blocks offshore Mauritania.
The agreement with Mauritania’s energy ministry assigns two new exploration and production contracts for deepwater blocks C15 and C31, covering a combined 14,175km2, to Total (90% and operator) alongside state-owned SMHPM (10%). No financial terms were disclosed.
Total already has operatorship in offshore blocks C7, C9 (both 90%) and C18 (45%); it plans to drill a well on C9, a deepwater block, in 2019.
The expansion signals Total’s keenness to explore a northwest African offshore hot spot region – with close ties to France – where the Kosmos-BP partnership and Cairn have had most of the running in recent years, making significant gas and oil finds respectively.
UK-based Tullow, the former C18 operator, completed farm-downs during 2H 2017 in respect of its 90% interest in Block C18 in Mauritania to Total, Kosmos and BP; SMHPM is understood to hold the other 10%.
Map credit: Total