Sweden-based PA Resources has submitted an updated plan of development to the Tunisian authorities for Zarat Field, a shallow-water, gas-condensate and oil field in offshore Tunisia.
The plan has been developed by the Zarat Field joint development team comprising staff from PA Resources, as well as the state oil company “L’Entreprise Tunisienne d’Activités Pétrolières (ETAP).
Claimed to be Tunisia’s largest undeveloped field, Zarat estimated to contain recoverable reserves of 147Mmboe and is geologically similar to the company’s nearby Didon Field.
The field extends across the Zarat license to the south and the Joint Oil block to the north.
“The phased approach to development allows reduced capital outlay to achieve commercial production from what is a most important field development for Tunisia.”
PA Resources Tunisia as operator and ETAP serve as parties in the Zarat licence.
Joint Oil was formed as a joint entity between ETAP (Tunisia) and the National Oil Company (Libya), and holds the northern tract.
The initial phase of the proposed development will consist of four production wells and production facilities to process and export 20,000bbls/d of oil in addition to 100Mmscfg/d of raw gas.
Comprising a further four development wells, phase 2 will have expanded facilities to boost capacity to 40,000bbls/d and 200Mmscf/d of raw gas.
According to the company, first oil is expected in 2020.
In order to reinject CO2, export sales gas to shore, onshore gas processing and extract the LPG stream, the plan of development will make use of existing Gulf of Gabes infrastructure.
Once the Tunisian authorities accept the plan, the project will enter a front-end engineering design phase with project sanction set to take place during 2017.
PA Resources CEO Mark McAllister said: “The phased approach to development allows reduced capital outlay to achieve commercial production from what is a most important field development for Tunisia.”
