French oil major Total reported that the second phase of the Ofon field development, offshore Nigeria, has begun. Construction and installation contracts have been awarded for Ofon Phase 2, which is scheduled to come on stream in 2014.

The Ofon field is located in Oil Mining Lease 102, 40 miles (65 kilometers) off the Nigerian shores in a water depth of 130 feet (40 meters).

Ofon Phase 2 will unlock the field's undeveloped reserves to increase production to 90,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from 30,000 barrels, by installing four new platforms: two production platforms, a processing platform and an accommodation platform. Most of the development is dedicated to recovering natural gas, which will be compressed and evacuated to shore.

In line with Total's environmental stewardship commitments, the firm said that Ofon Phase 2 is a major step forward in its plan to reduce its flaring of associated gas and its greenhouse gas emissions.

"In launching Ofon Phase 2, Total is increasing the pace of development of its resources in a sustainable manner," said Jacques Marraud des Grottes, Total's senior vice president for exploration and production in Africa.

"It is a further growth driver supporting our strategy, which is primarily focused on developing deep offshore fields such as Akpo and, in the near future, Usan by minimizing its greenhouse gas emissions."

The partners in OML 102 are Total Exploration-Production Nigeria Ltd (40 percent, operator) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (60 percent).

Tags: Total