Woodside to begin Sangomar development

Woodside Petroleum is set to begin drilling for oil off the coast of Senegal, executing key contracts to begin the first phase of its $US4.2 billion ($6 billion) Sangomar project.

The announcement follows the Senegalese government giving Woodside and its joint venture partners, Cairn Energy PLC, FAR and Petrosen, the green light to go ahead yesterday. 

As operator of the RSSD joint venture, Woodside said it had executed the purchase contract for the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) facility and issued full notices to contractors for drilling and subsea construction.

Contractors for the development involve MODEC, Subsea Integration Alliance and Diamond Offshore.

Drilling activities as part of phase one of the development will target an estimated 231 million barrels of oil from lower, less complex reservoirs and an initial pilot phase in the upper reservoirs.

Woodside chief executive Peter Coleman said the Sangomar development was a major pillar of the company’s growth strategy.

“We look forward to progressing the project towards first oil in early 2023 and expect that our experience in offshore FPSO developments will support its delivery on cost and schedule,” he said.

“We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Government of Senegal and will be working with all stakeholders to ensure that the country’s first oil project delivers enduring benefits to its people.”