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2026
No significant news in 2026.
2025
No significant news in 2025.
2024
Sep 2024: Energean drilled the Anchois-3 well in the Lixus license to a measured depth of 3,045m in 349m of water. The well encountered gas-bearing reservoirs in the B sand but gas pays are lower than the pre-drill estimate. Other target reservoirs were dry as was the Anchois North Flank prospect This puts the commerciality of the Anchois gas field into question.
Aug 2024: Energean (operator, 45%), Chariot (30%) and ONHYM (25%) began drilling operations on the Anchois East well (Anchois-3) in the offshore Lixus license after which the deeper Anchois North Flank prospect will be drilled.
2023
Mar 2023: Chariot (75%, operator) and ONHYM (25%) announced completion of the FEED on the 21 bcm Anchois gas development project in the Lixus Offshore licence area. Three subsea wells, including Anchois-2 drilled in 2022, with multi zone completions will enable gas recovery. An onshore CPF will deliver gas and condensate to market with an initial capacity of 1 bcm a year.
2022
Nov 2022: SDX Energy announced 2 discoveries by the SAK-1 and KSR-20 wells. The SAK-1 well, which opens a new production area NW of the existing producing area, has already been connected to infrastructure. The KSR-20 well will be put on production soon and SDX plan to expand drilling operations in 2023.
Sep 2022: Chariot Energy has signed a pipeline tie-in agreement with the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) granting access to the Maghreb Europe Gas Pipeline (GME) which runs through to Tangiers and across the Mediterranean Sea to southern Spain. It will allow gas from the offshore Anchois gas field to be transported.
Jan 2022: Chariot (operator, 75%) and ONHYM (25%) made a gas discovery at the Anchois-2 appraisal well in the Lixus licence in 381m of water. A calculated net gas pay of over 100m was encountered compared to 55m in the discovery well. Chariot will suspend the well.
2021
Oct 2021: Chariot announced it has signed an MOU for gas offtake from the offshore Anchois Gas Development within the Lixus licence. The key terms will be for around 0.5 bcm a year for 20 years, take or pay. And FID for Anchois is due in 2022 and first gas in 2024.
May 2021: SDX Energy (operator, 75%) announced commencement of the 1st 3- well phase of its 2021 drilling with the OYF-3 development well in Gharb Basin acreage targeting shallow, biogenic gas accumulations near to existing infrastructure. The 2nd phase will commence in September 2021.
2020
Sep 2020: Chariot has defined a development concept for gas in the offshore Anchois field, Lixus license after reprocessed 3D seismic data led to an upgrade of recoverable resources to 28 bcm and revealed new prospects in the Mio-Pliocene gas play.
Apr 2020: Chariot will concentrate on the Anchois gas field in the Lixus license area while cutting its running costs by 40%. Anchois holds an estimated 12 bcm of recoverable gas and there is additional potential including the deep O Sand that was not penetrated in the discovery well.
Mar 2020: SDX Energy has encountered commercial quantities of gas in the BMK-1 well within Upper and Lower Guebbas reservoirs. This confirms that the prospectivity in core production and development areas extends to the north. The rig will now move to the Lalla Mimouna concession to drill the LMS-2 well, the final well in the campaign.
Jan 2020: SDX Energy (operator, 75%) announced that the OYF-2 well in Morocco has encountered gas in both the Upper and Lower Guebbas reservoirs confirming the company's core productive area extends to the north. The well will be tested in February and tied into the existing infrastructure. The rig has moved to the BMK-1 location 11 kms to the north.
2019
Oct 2019: SDX Energy (operator, 75%) announced the commencement of a 12 well drilling campaign in its Gharb Basin acreage. The first 7 wells are appraisal wells and the remainder are exploration. The campaign is expected to complete in Q1 2020.
Jun 2019: Chariot said that the Anchois field, 40kms from the coast in 388m of water, is appropriate for a single-phase or staged gas development using a subsea manifold tied to an onshore Central Processing Facility from which gas would be sent to the Maghreb-Europe Gas pipeline. In addition 5 satellite prospects have tie-back potential.
Apr 2019: Chariot Oil & Gas (operator, 75%) has been awarded the Lixus Offshore Licence along with ONHYM (25%, carried). Lixus contains the 2009 Anchois-1 gas discovery in Tertiary turbidite reservoirs under 388m of water. The licence commitment includes 3D seismic reprocessing.
2018
May 2018: SDX Energy (operator, 75%) announced a conventional natural gas discovery in Miocene sandstones at its LMS-1 exploration well on the Lalla Mimouna permit. The well is being completed as a producer and will be perforated and tested. This was the last well in a 9-well drilling program.
Apr 2018: SDX Energy (operator, 75%) announced a gas discovery at the LNB-1 well on the Lalla Mimouna permit. The primary target was the Lafkerena sequence, where 300m of gas pay was encountered; a new petroleum system in the area. The secondary target, the Upper Dlalha, also contained gas and has been completed as a producer while the Lafkerena is suspended for testing.
Mar 2018: SDX Energy announced that a gas discovery has been made at its SAH-2 well on the Sebou permit. The well encountered 5.2 m of net gas pay across two zones in the Guebbas and Hoot formations. It will be completed, tested and connected to existing infrastructure.
2017
No significant news in 2017.
2016
Aug 2016: Sound Energy (operator, 27.5%) announced that it has made a significant commercial gas discovery at the Tendrara well (TE-6). The company is now preparing to drill a second well at TE-7 using sub-horizontal drilling techniques. This will be followed by an extended well test.
Jun 2016: Sound Energy announced that the onshore Tendrara appraisal well (TE-6) has been drilled to total depth and will be tested. Significant gas shows have been seen with a gross gas pay of 89m. The rig will drill the TE-7 site provided TE6 yields gas after stimulating the reservoir.
Jan 2016: Cairn has relinquished the offshore Foum Draa and Juby Maritime permits following disappointing drilling results.
2015
Oct 2015: Circle Oil announced a gas discovery at the Caid El Gaddari (CGD-13) well on the Sebou Permit. It will be produced through the pipeline to Kenitra. The 2014/15 drilling has seen 7 wells in Sebou and 3 in Lalla Mimouna, recording 6 discoveries with 5 in the Sebou permit.
Oct 2015: Circle Oil has tested gas in the KSR-A well in the Ksiri Central production concession of the Sebou permit. The well will be tied back to the Sebou pipeline linked to the industrial area of Kenitra. Partenrs in the Sebou permit are Circle (operator, 75%) and ONHYM (25%).
Jun 2015: Circle Oil (operator, 75%) tested gas at LAM-1, the first well on the Lalla Mimouna permit, which targeted Miocene gas-bearing sands similar to the Sebou Permit to the south. The rig has will now drill the ANS-2 well, the second on Lalla Mimouna. ONHYM holds 25%.
May 2015: Circle Oil announced positive results of testing well SAH-W1 in the onshore Sebou Permit drilled in June 2014. The rig is moving to the nearby Lalla Mimouna permit to drill Circle's first well here, called LAM-1. This will be the fifth well of the current drilling campaign.
Feb 2015: Gulfsands Petroleum announced the Douar Ouled Balkhair-1 gas exploration well (DOB-1) within the Rharb Centre Permit in Northern Morocco as a gas discovery. It has been suspended as a future gas production well. The first 2 wells drilled on this permit (LTU-1 and DRC-1) were also successful in finding gas.
2014
Oct 2014: Circle Oil has announced preliminary results of well CGD-12 in the onshore Sebou Permit 4 kms south of the main gas gathering station. Net gas pay is 9.7m and the well will be completed for future production. This is the second of a 6 well program in the Sebou permit coupled with 6 wells in the Lalla Mimouna permit.
Jul 2014: The Lalla Yetou Updip-1well (LTU-1) operated by Gulfsands in the Rharb Centre Permit flowed gas to surface with no formation water. It will be temporarily suspended as a future gas producer. This well is the first to be drilled following interpretation of seismic data acquired in the Rharb 3D programme.
Jun 2014: Circle Oil has announced results of well SAH-W1 in the onshore Sebou Permit, 3.2 kms SW of the gas gathering station. The well encountered gas within the target Guebbas sands. It will be tested and completed for production once liner has been obtained. This is the first of a 6-well programme with ONHYM in the permit coupled with another 6-wells in the Lalla Mimouna permit.
Mar 2014: Genel reports that the Cairn-operated JM-1 well on the Cap Juby prospect in the Juby Maritime III block in 110m of water has encountered oil shows in the Upper Jurassic, as originally tested by the 1968 MO-2 (Cap Juby) well. The primary objective is 1,000m deeper. Wells are also planned on the Sidi Moussa and Mir Left licences during 2014 using the Noble Paul Romano semisub.
Jan 2014: Longreach has encountered natural gas in the Koba-1 well. Longreach is operator with 50%, along with ONHYM and MPE (25% carried interest each). However, as a result of damage to the reservoir zone, Longreach is unable to reliably quantify reservoir quality. The Koba structure is the first prospect to be drilled in Longreach's exploration program.
2013
Dec 2013: Cairn will plug and abandon its FD-1 exploration well in 1,500m of water in the Foum Draa block after failing to encounter any reservoirs. The next well in Cairn exploration programme is in the Juby Maritime III block in 100m of water where the primary objective is 1,000m below the 1969 Cap Juby oil discovery.
Oct 2013: Kosmos has entered into farm-out agreements with BP covering 3 blocks in the Agadir Basin; Essaouira Offshore, Foum Assaka Offshore and Tarhazoute Offshore. BP will drill 1 exploration well in each block with an option for a second. The Agadir Basin is an under-explored salt basin along the Atlantic Margin. The 3 contiguous blocks have water depths up to 3,000m.
Sep 2013: A drilling campaign will start offshore Morocco with a well spudded on the Foum Draa block in October and on the Sidi Moussa block in early 2014. The well on the Foum Draa block operated by Cairn Energy is targeting the Fig prospect.
Jul 2013: Gulfsands Petroleum has undertaken seismic programmes on the Rharb and Fes permits, north western Morocco. The Company is planning to drill one and possibly a second well on the Fes permit area during 2014 and will commence drilling in September 2013 the first well in a five well campaign in the Rharb permit focusing on shallow gas anomalies identified in Miocene sands.
Feb 2013: San Leon Energy carried out a study of the Tarfaya Oil Shale with a view to pursuing a surface retorting project. The yield results suggest an oil yield of 72 litres of oil per ton of material is achievable and modeling confirms that a commercial operation is possible. Further work is now focused on the configuration of a plant based around the Enefit 280 process and seeking partners to build a 5,000 to 10,000 bbls per day facility. Morocco has one of the largest oil shale reserves in the world.
Jan 2013: Chevron has signed petroleum agreements with Morocco's Office National Des Hydrocarbures Et Des Mines for 3 offshore areas. Chevron will acquire seismic data and conduct studies in areas known as Cap Rhir Deep, Cap Cantin Deep and Cap Walidia Deep located 100 to 200 kms west and northwest of Agadir in water depths between 100 m and 4500 m.
2012
Oct 2012: Chariot Oil & Gas has entered an agreement for 75% in Rabat Deep 50 kms offshore in water depths from 150 to 3,500m adjacent to the company’s Loukos and Casablanca/Safi licences. Chariot will partner the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), the national oil company, which will participate with a 25% carried interest. The Agreement consists of an initial 3 year period of seismic acquisition. One well has already been drilled in the block.
Aug 2012: Cairn announced it would farm into the Foum Draa Block. It already holds an interest and operatorship of the Juby Maritime license, adjacent to Foum Draa. The Foum Draa Block lies off southern Morocco in water depths up to 2000m. Two prospects have been identified and the first well is expected in late 2013, followed by several more elsewhere in shallow and deep waters. Genel has also agreed to farm into the Sidi Moussa block in return for funding a well.
North and Northwest Africa
