Last week, French oil and gas giant Total made the significant find on the Brulpadda prospects, located in the Outeniqua Basin - 175km off the southern coast of South Africa. The well - the first major deepwater discovery off South Africa - was drilled by the company using a new drilling ship. After the initial discovery of 57 metres of gas condensate, the well was deepened to a final depth of 3,633 metres. Total chief executive Patrick Pouyanne claimed the discovery could hold one billion barrels of oil equivalent of gas and condensate resources.
Andrew Latham, vice president of global exploration at natural resources consultancy Wood Mackenzie, said: "Even though the well isn’t an oil discovery, if Brulpadda proves to be anywhere near as big as the estimates of up to one billion barrels of oil equivalent resources, it will still be a game-changer for South Africa.”
Total vice president of exploration Kevin McLachlan said: “We are very pleased to announce the Brulpadda discovery which was drilled in a challenging Deepwater environment.
“With this discovery, Total has opened a new world-class gas and oil play and is well positioned to test several follow-on prospects on the same block.”
South Africa’s mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe also hailed the discovery, claiming it could attract more foreign investors.
Oil news: The discovery could provide a 'major boost' to South Africa's economy (Image: GETTY)
He said: “It is exciting for our country that this discovery has been made. It is potentially a major boost for the economy, and we welcome it as we continue to seek investment to grow our
