Last week, the French energy giant Total announced it had discovered a large gas field off the South African coast.
- Total has discovered a potential 1 billion barrels of “wet” gas off the coast of South Africa.
- The gas could be used as petrol – or perhaps even converted into electricity, according to one expert.
- The Brulpadda find should mean more tax revenue and a stronger rand.
Total – along with its partners – owns the exploration rights to the Brulpadda block, an area of 19,000 km², some 275km south of Mossel Bay.
They tried to drill the block in 2014, but gave up after rough winter weather wreaked havoc on its equipment. This time, Total drilled in December, and used a more specialised rig which could cope with the strong currents.
Total struck 57 meters of gas 3,633 meters deep – and now predicts that the field could yield up to 1 billion barrels of gas.
What has been found?
A gas condensate – basically this is a “wet gas”, gas that contains a small amount of oil.
What will it be used for?
The gas could be converted into petrol at PetroSA’s gas-to-fuel refinery in Mossel Bay.
But Niall Kramer, CEO of the South African Oil & Gas Alliance (SAOGA), says it is still too early to jump to conclusions on the final use for the gas.
For example, instead of petroleum, the gas could be converted into electricity.
Original article by Helena Wasserman from Business Insider SA (www.businessinsider.co.za)
