Angola’s Agency for Petroleum, Gas and Biofuel (ANPG) and Chevron’s local subsidiary CABGOC have announced the start of production from the Lifua-A project within Block 0.

Chevron intends to develop the Lifua reserves via three different phases, Lifua-A, -B, and -C. Phase A relies on a stacked template structure (STS) platform with ten wells, including six production wells and four injectors. All fabrication was carried out locally in Cabinda by Algoa Cabinda Fabrication Services.

“The Lifua-A platform is interconnected with the existing facilities in the Takula Area and is expected to produce a total of 6,500 barrels of oil per day from the Vermelha and Likouala reservoirs,” the ANPG said.

The development of Lifua benefits from fiscal incentives granted under Angola’s marginal fields legislation. In November 2019, Executive Decree 328/18 granted marginal field status to the Lifua, 83-N, Kambala and N’Dola Sul fields in Block 0, data from Hawilti+ shows. In Angola, one of the conditions for a field to be considered marginal is that its proven oil reserves do not exceed 300 million barrels.

Block 0 is located in shallow waters and is one of Angola’s most prolific assets with over 20 fields currently producing. Chevron is engaged in several brownfield development projects there, including the Sanha Lean Gas Connection (SLGC) project whose final investment decision (FID) was taken two years ago to supply gas feedstock to Angola LNG and the Soyo power plant.

Out of the remaining discoveries that were granted marginal field status in 2019, N’Dola Sul is expected to be developed under a similar scheme as Lifua-A, according to Sonangol records.