Agogo oil field is located in Block 15/06 offshore Angola. Eni Angola, a subsidiary of Azule Energy, holds a 36.84% working interest in the block and serves as the operator.
Azule Energy is an equal joint venture (JV) established by BP, an energy company and Eni’s Angolan businesses. Sonangol P&P (36.84%) and SSI Fifteen (26.31%) are the other partners in Block 15/06.
The field started oil production in January 2020, nine months after its discovery in March 2019. Initial production stood at approximately 10,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) and is expected to increase to 20,000bopd in the near future.
The JV partners were studying the field to tap its complete potential by pursuing full field development through the addition of a new production hub.
The final investment decision on the Agogo Integrated West Hub development project was taken in February 2023.
Agogo Integrated West Hub development project details
The Agogo Integrated West Hub development project will produce hydrocarbons from the Agogo and Ndungu fields. The field development plan includes a total of 36 wells, including 21 production wells and 15 injection wells.
The existing Ngoma floating production storage offloading (FPSO) and a new Agogo FPSO will be used to produce oil from the project. The new FPSO will have an oil processing capacity of 120,000bopd, a gas injection capacity of 230 million standard cubic feet per day (Mmscf/d) and a water injection capacity of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The new FPSO will utilise the existing infrastructure of the western area of Block 15/06, thereby reducing project costs. The maximum production from the new FPSO will be 175,000bopd.
The subsea production system for the project will include 100km of rigid flowlines, 100km of flexible flowlines and 100km of umbilicals. The umbilical system is expected to be delivered by the second quarter of 2024.
The first production from the Agogo Integrated West Hub development project is expected in mid-2026.
Agogo oil field discovery
The Agogo offshore oil field was discovered by drilling the Agogo-1 new field wildcat well, 20km west of the Ngoma FPSO located in the West Hub production area in Block 15/06 and approximately 180km offshore Angola.
The well was drilled to a total vertical depth of 4,450m in a water depth of 1,636m using the Poseidon drillship. The well encountered a single oil column of approximately 203m with net pay of 120m of high-quality oil with 31° API.
The hydrocarbons are present in subsalt diapirs in Lower Miocene sandstones. The prospect was originally expected to hold about 450 to 650 million barrels of light oil in place.
The mapping and drilling of the prospect were performed using Eni’s proprietary imaging technologies. Seismic imaging facilitated high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of the field. Eni also used the sub-sea multiphase boosting system and gravity gradiometry technology that helps in understanding the nature of the rocks in the area.
Appraisal details of the Agogo oil field
The first appraisal well Agogo-2 was drilled approximately 3km northwest of the Agogo-1 discovery well in the Agogo discovery in July 2019. The well results confirmed the presence of 650 million barrels of oil in the field.
The appraisal well was located roughly 23km from the N’Goma FPSO vessel. The well was drilled in a water depth of 1,700m to a total vertical depth of 3,949m to encounter 58m net pay of light oil with 31° API in the Miocene and Oligocene era sandstones.
The highly deviated Agogo-2 appraisal well confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons to the north of the discovery well and below salt diapirs. The well indicated a production capacity of more than 15,000bopd.
A second appraisal well, Agogo-3, was drilled approximately 1.5km northwest of the Agogo-2 well, using the Libongos drillship. Agogo-3 was drilled to a total vertical depth of 4,321m in Miocene and Oligocene-age sandstones. It hit net pay of up to 120m of light oil with 31° API in February 2020.
Agogo-3 was drilled as a highly deviated well that reached below the thick layer of salt and confirmed the interconnection of the reservoir in the subsalt area of the Agogo megastructure. The well results indicated that the field has estimated oil in place of one billion barrels. New appraisal wells are expected to be considered to evaluate additional upside in the northern sector of the field.
Ngoma FPSO details
Agogo oil field was connected to the Ngoma FPSO to begin production from the field. The FPSO features an oil processing capacity of 100,000bopd, a gas handling capacity of 115Mmscf/d and a water injection capacity of 120,000bpd.
The existing infrastructure facilities were utilised for the development of satellite sub-sea fields.
Contractors involved in the Agogo oil field
Yinson Production, an energy infrastructure and technology provider, was awarded the contract to supply the new FPSO for the Agogo Integrated West Hub development project in February 2023. It is also responsible for the operation and maintenance of the FPSO, under the 15-year contract, which includes an option to extend for five years.
Yinson subcontracted MAN Energy Solutions, a diesel and gas engine and machinery supplier, to supply 11 compressor trains for the FPSO in June 2023. Out of the 11 compressor trains, nine will be centrifugal compressor trains for gas production, gas injection, gas lift and export and the remaining two will be screw-compressor trains to be used as low-pressure compression units.
Aker Solutions, an energy solutions provider, was awarded a contract to supply subsea umbilicals for the field in February 2023. The scope of the contract includes the engineering, manufacturing and supply of a 36km umbilical system comprising dynamic and static subsea production control umbilical. It will also provide spares along with associated equipment and services.
Energy technology company Baker Hughes was selected to supply subsea equipment and services for the project in February 2023. It will provide 23 standard subsea trees, 11 Aptara manifolds, SemStar5 fibre optic controls and related systems.
Subsea7, a subsea engineering, construction and services provider, was chosen to provide the transport and installation services for approximately 98km of flexible pipes, 30km of umbilicals and associated subsea structures of the project in February 2023.
Energy technology provider TechnipFMC was awarded a contract to supply flexible pipes for the project in February 2023. The scope of the contract also includes the engineering, procurement and supply of jumpers, flowlines, risers and ancillary equipment.
Saipem, an advanced technological and engineering platform for the design, construction and operation of safe and sustainable complex infrastructure and plants, was awarded a contract for providing engineering, procurement, construction and installation services for rigid pipe-in-pipe flowlines with related subsea structures in April 2023. Saipem plans to use the FDS2 dynamically positioned laying vessel for the work.
Saipem was previously contracted for the early phase one development of the Agogo oil field, in February 2020.