Transitional energy group “Chariot Limited” announced on its website on Tuesday the launch of drilling operations at the Anchois-3 near Larrache city well in Morocco’s northern offshore gas project.
The Stena Forth drillship has arrived at the Lixus Offshore license, where Chariot holds a 30% stake, along with partners Energean (45%) and National Office of Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM) with 25%.
Drilling at Anchois-3 is expected to take two months; Chariot is fully carried for the anticipated costs, with operations divided into distinct phases.
The initial pilot hole will evaluate the Anchois footwall prospect, located in an undrilled fault block east of the main field.
This area has a 2U prospective resource estimate of 170 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas in the main O Sand target.
After the pilot hole, a side-track will be drilled to assess the discovered gas sands in the Anchois field. The main fault block of the field currently has a 2C contingent resource estimate of 637 Bcf.
The drilling will then target the deeper Anchois North Flank prospect, which has an additional 2U prospective resource estimate of 213 Bcf. This phase will also de-risk the nearby Anchois South Flank prospect, estimated to hold 372 Bcf.
Following the drilling, well flow testing will be conducted on selected gas sands to evaluate the reservoir’s productivity. The well will then be suspended, allowing it to serve as a potential future production site.
Chariot CEO Adonis Pouroulis expressed optimism about the project, noting its potential to increase the resource base to over 1 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of gas.
He noted the company’s commitment to reaching a final investment decision quickly, depending on the success of the current drilling campaign.
“We see significant upside potential and value from the prospective resources in the pilot hole and main hole targets,” Pouroulis said.
Chariot is an Africa-focused company operating in transitional gas, transitional power, and green hydrogen sectors .