Adnoc makes second discovery of natural gas in Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block 2 concession

Find indicates between one trillion to 1.5 trillion standard cubic feet of raw gas, almost doubling the discovered field volume

The headquarters of UAE state oil company Adnoc in Abu Dhabi. AFP

Adnoc announced on Friday a second discovery of natural gas in 2022 in the first exploration well in Abu Dhabi’s Offshore Block 2 exploration concession operated by Eni.

The discovery from a new, deeper reservoir indicates one trillion to 1.5 trillion standard cubic feet (scf) of raw gas, almost doubling the discovered field volume, Adnoc said on Friday.

The latest discovery builds on the initial finding in February 2022 from a shallower target, taking the total from this single well to 2.5-3.5 trillion scf.

“This discovery further highlights how Adnoc’s accelerated exploration and development programme is identifying untapped hydrocarbon resources, creating long-term value for the UAE,” said Yaser Almazrouei, Adnoc's upstream executive director.

A consortium, led by Italian multinational Eni and PTT Exploration and Production public company limited (PTTEP), was awarded the exploration rights for Offshore Block 2 in 2019 as part of Adnoc’s debut competitive block bid round.

“We are particularly pleased to see Eni and PTTEP pursuing deeper zones, which has demonstrated additional potential resources in place,” Mr Almazrouei said.

Offshore Block 2 covers an area of 4,033 square kilometres north-west of Abu Dhabi.

The latest discovery is a result of insights from Adnoc's continuing three-dimensional mega seismic survey, underscoring the important role of advanced technology to help to identify new hydrocarbon resources in the emirate, the state-controlled oil and gas company said.

In May, Adnoc announced the discovery of about 100 million barrels of oil in Abu Dhabi’s Onshore Block 3, operated by US oil company Occidental.

In December 2021, up to a billion barrels of oil equivalent in Onshore Block 4 exploration concession, which is operated by Japan's Inpex Corporation, was confirmed.

Adnoc unveiled Abu Dhabi’s first and second competitive block bid rounds in 2018 and 2019, respectively, offering major onshore and offshore blocks to international companies.

Based on existing data from detailed petroleum system studies, seismic surveys, exploration and appraisal wells data, estimates suggest the blocks hold several billion barrels of oil and several trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Adnoc said.