Talos Energy has discovered oil and natural gas in commercial quantities at the Katmai West #2 well in the Ewing Bank area of the US Gulf of Mexico.

The drill-ship West Vela began drilling the well in late October 2024, reaching a true vertical depth of approximately 27,000ft.

The well met the primary target sand full-to-base, revealing more than 400ft of gross hydrocarbon pay with “excellent” rock properties, aligning with pre-drill expectations.

The well will be tied back to the existing subsea infrastructure leading to the Tarantula facility, which has expanded to an increased capacity of 35mboe per day.

The well is expected to be cased and suspended by late January 2025. First production is expected late in Q2 2025.

Talos Energy anticipates the well's deliverability to be consistent with pre-drill estimates of roughly 15,000–20,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (mboe/d) gross.

The Katmai West #1 well's strong performance, coupled with the successful appraisal of the Katmai West #2 well, has nearly doubled the proved ultimate recovery of the Katmai West field to an estimated 50mboe gross.

This supports the company's projected total resource potential of around 100mboe gross.

Talos, as the operator of the Katmai West field, holds a 50% working interest, with the remaining 50% managed by entities under Ridgewood Energy Corporation. Additionally, Talos is the sole owner and operator of the Tarantula facility.

This discovery follows Talos Energy's oil and natural gas find in the Gulf of Mexico in September 2024.

Preliminary data from the Ewing Bank 953 well indicated an estimated 15–25mboe in total resources, with an initial gross production rate of 8,000–10,000 barrels per day.

Talos's interim co-president, executive vice-president and head of operations John Spath said: "Delivering this high-impact deep-water well, approximately 35% under budget and more than a month ahead of schedule, demonstrates our ability to efficiently execute complex projects while maintaining top safety and environmental standards.

“We remain optimistic about the greater Katmai area, as these results align with our pre-drill expectations about its gross resource potential. We look forward to having this well on production and believe it positions us for strong value creation as we move forward into 2025."