French oil major Total has started oil production from the Zinia Phase 2 project offshore Angola, connected to the existing Pazflor FPSO.

The  Zinia Phase 2 project includes the drilling of nine wells and is expected to reach a production of 40,000 barrels of oil per day by mid-2022.

Located in water depths from 600 to 1,200 meters and about 150 kilometers from the Angolan coast, Zinia Phase 2 resources are estimated at 65 million barrels of oil.

"The development of this project was carried out according to schedule and for a CAPEX more than 10% below budget, representing a saving of 150 million dollars. It involved more than 3 million manhours of work, of which 2 million were performed in Angola, without any incident," Total said.

"The successful start-up of this project, despite the challenges that have arisen as a result of the pandemic, demonstrates Total’s commitment to ensure a sustainable output on Block 17, for which the production license was recently extended until 2045. Zinia Phase 2 project reflects the quality of short-cycle projects in Angola with high return on investment”, said Nicolas Terraz, President Africa, Exploration and Production at Total.

Paulino Jerónimo, CEO of the National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency, commented as follows, “Zinia Phase 2 is a key project for Angola that comes at the right time to sustain the production of the country. We welcome our collaboration with Total in Angola, that keeps investing with its partners in the development of the country oil resources”. 

Block 17 is operated by Total with a 38% stake, alongside with Equinor (22.16%), ExxonMobil (19%), BP Exploration Angola Ltd (15.84%) and Sonangol P&P (5%). The group operates four FPSOs in the main production areas of the block, namely Girassol, Dalia, Pazflor
and CLOV.