A milestone event is occurring in Angola’s oil industry this year – Angola celebrates 100 years since the first oil well was drilled in the country.
The first oil well, Dande-1, was drilled in the Dande River valley approximately 40 kilometers north of Luanda. Drilling began on March 25, 1915, and terminated four months later in July, as the well proved to be dry but drilling cuttings gave off a strong aroma of oil.
The well was drilled by the Portuguese oil company Pesquisas Mineiras de Angola (PEMA).
There are no historical records available to indicate why this location was chosen. The well was drilled before technology such as seismic, magnetic and gravity data was available. Oil seeps consisting of asphalt deposits are located northwest of the well site, which may have provided some incentive to drill the well. The seeps likely would have indicated to the geologists that oil had been generated in the area and had migrated updip and near to the outcrop edge of basement.
This area is today known as the Libongos asphalt deposits.
Two more wells were drilled and were abandoned due to the collapse of the casing.
On Aug. 14, 1916, Dande-4 was drilled to a depth of 857 meters and also abandoned, but the well tested six barrels per day of heavy oil. This represented the first-ever actual flow of oil in Angola.
Economic Impact
In 1919, a joint venture was formed with another Portuguese oil company, Companhia do Petroleo de Angola (COPA) and the American oil company, New York-based Sinclair Oil. This led to further exploration drilling until 1926, when drilling terminated due to lack of commercial discoveries.
Another three decades passed before the first commercial oil field was discovered by Portuguese oil company Petrofina in Benfica, a suburb on the southern edge of Luanda.
The discovery was Benfica-2, which was drilled in 1955 and commenced producing oil in 1956 representing a very important milestone in Angola’s oil industry.
Oil revenue has provided Angola with about 95 percent of its foreign exchange and 50 percent of its GDP.
Angola suffered immensely during the long civil war from 1975 to 2002. With the end of the war, revenues provided by the oil industry have enabled the Angola government to rebuild the country with new roads, railroads, hydro-electric projects, airports, hospitals, schools and universities.
Milestones in Angola Oil Production
1968 – Pittsburgh-based Gulf Oil made the first offshore oil discovery in the Malongo oil field, Cabinda province of Angola.
1969 – The Malongo oil field commenced production, representing the first offshore oil production in Angola.
1975 – Texaco discovered the Essungo oil field, offshore Block 2.
1996 – French oil company Elf Petroleum discovered the Girassol oil field in Tertiary turbidites in the deepwater of the Lower Congo Basin; by 2001 Girassol was producing oil at 200,000 bpd.
2004 – Angola’s oil production reaches one million bpd.
2008 – Angola’s oil production reaches almost two million bpd.
2009 – ExxonMobil and its partners achieve one billion barrels cumulative oil production from deepwater Block 15.
2011 – Total and its partners mark one billion barrels cumulative oil production from deepwater Block 17.
2011 – The state oil company, Sonangol awards 11 pre-salt exploration blocks in the deepwater Kwanza Basin.
2012 – Denmark’s Maersk Oil drills Azul-1, which is the first pre-salt oil discovery in the deepwater Kwanza Basin. This was followed by Cobalt drilling the deepwater Cameia-1 pre-salt oil discovery.
2012 – Chevron and its partners achieve four billion barrels of cumulative oil production from shallow water Block 0, Cabinda.
2015 – Total and its partners make two billion barrels of cumulative oil production from deepwater Block 17.
2015 – Angola celebrates the 100th anniversary of oil drilling.
World Records Set By Angola’s Oil and Gas Industry
- In 2001, Total’s Girassol FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading) was the world’s largest FPSO, with storage capacity of two million barrels of oil.
- In 2004, Esso’s Kizomba FPSO, deepwater Block 15 was the world’s largest FPSO. Thereafter, Chevron’s Agbami FPSO in Nigeria held the world record, but Angola again holds the world record with Total’s Pazflor FPSO currently holding the distinction.
- Chevron’s Sanha LPG FPSO is world’s largest LPG (liquified petroleum gas) hull ever built and first FPSO to combine LPG processing and export functions on the same unit. It contains the world’s largest offshore gas compression facility.
- Chevron’s BBLT (Benguela-Belize Compliant Piled Tower), Block 14, installed in 400 meters water, was the fifth largest free-standing structure in the world – and is the tallest man-made structure in Africa.
- The Angola LNG project is the world’s first associated gas-fed LNG plant.
- During 59 years of oil production (1956-2015), Angola has never had a major drilling blowout nor oil spill.