MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The reason behind Total's decision to halt additional drilling in the same block as South Africa's Brulpadda and Luiperd gas deposits, is not yet clear.
The company delivered a notice to stakeholders on 13 April, saying it had been decided to postpone its application for the additional drilling and associated activities in Block 11B/12B.
Those recent discoveries off Mossel Bay have been estimated to hold at least one billion barrels of gas.
Over the past two years, Total has made significant gas discoveries in the Outeniqua Basin, located roughly 175 kilometres off Mossel Bay.
Business Insider reports that in 2019, drilling at the Brulpadda Prospect uncovered gas at depths of up to 3 633 metres. The following year, the Luiperd-1X exploration encountered gas at depths of up to 3 400 metres. Both these finds are in Block 11B/12B, which covers an area of 18 734 square kilometres. Total said it, and its partners, hold the necessary environmental authorisation to drill in an area in the western portion of the block.
Oil and gas discoveries in Block 11B/12B could reduce South Africa's reliance on imports and revitalise PetroSA's Mossel Bay refinery, according to Business Insider.
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