Repsol has made three new gas finds in Algeria’s Sahara desert: One in the Reggane basin, where the company has already had a number of successes, another in the Ahnet Basin, and a third in the Berkine Basin. Initial production tests showed output of 1 million cubic metres/day, indicating the new finds have high gas potential.

The new wells confirm the significance for Repsol of the Reggane Basin, where the company’s discoveries add up to total net reserves of 145 million barrels of oil equivalent, and consolidate the region as one of the great growth areas outlined in the 2008-2012 Strategic Plan.

The Reggane find, in well KLS-1, is part of a new structure known as Kahlouche Sud. The first production tests registered gas flows of 629,000 cubic metres/day at a depth of 3,720 metres.

Repsol operates the consortium with a 33.75% stake. Algeria’s state-owned Sonatrach controls 25%; Germany’s RWE Dea owns 22.5% and Italy’s Edison has 18.75%. This is the fourth discovery made by the consortium in the basin, adding to the finds in Sali-1 (SLI-1), Kahlouche-2 (KL-2) and Reggane-6 (RG-6).

This consortium has also made a discovery in M’Sari Akabli, in the Ahnet Basin. The well, known as OTLH-2, registered a test flow of 249,000 cubic meters/day of gas at a depth of about 1,280 metres, and 110,000 cubic metres/day of gas at a depth of 1,340 metres. The well is in a new independent structure in the centre of the block and is the first discovery in the Ahnet Basin.

Repsol and its partners won exploration licenses for the Reggane and M’Sari Akabli blocks in bidding rounds in 2002 and 2003 by the Algerian government.

In central Algeria, Repsol (45%) has together with Gas Natural (30%) and Sonatrach (25%) made a third discovery in the Berkine basin in Gassi Chergui. The AI-2 well produced a test flow of 158,000 cubic metres/day of gas.

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