Total has announced the discovery of gas condensate on the Brulpadda prospects located on Block 11B/12B 175km off the southern coast of South Africa.
The Brulpadda well was drilled by Total using a new drilling ship and encountered 57m of net gas condensate pay in Lower Cretaceous reservoirs.
After the main objective was achieved, the well was deepened to a final depth of 3,633m and has also been successful in the Brulpadda-deep prospect.
The Block 11B/12B in the Outeniqua Basin is operated by Total with a 45% working interest and covers a 19,000km² area, with water depths ranging from 200 to 1,800m.
Other partners in the block are Qatar Petroleum (25%), CNR international (20%) and a South African consortium, Main Street (10%).
Total Exploration senior vice-president Kevin McLachlan said: “We are very pleased to announce the Brulpadda discovery, which was drilled in a challenging deepwater environment.
“With this discovery, Total has opened a new world-class gas and oil play and is well positioned to test several follow-on prospects on the same block.”
Total and its partners now plan to acquire 3D seismic this year, followed by up to four exploration wells on the licence.
In the Outeniqua basin, the company has developed oil and gas exploration activities with operating interests in two blocks, 11B /12B and South Outeniqua.
Last month, Total discovered gas in the Glengorm prospect in the North Sea, offshore UK.
Drilled to a depth of 5,056m, the exploration well encountered 37m net condensate and gas pay zones in Upper Jurassic reservoir.
