Oil and gas company Aminex has submitted a development plan for the Ntorya field, located onshore in the Ruvuma basin, in Tanzania, to the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) for approval.

The development plan is a key step towards obtaining a development licence and the commercialising of the resources from the Ntorya appraisal area.

“Submission of the Ntorya field development plan is a major milestone for the company as we progress towards unlocking the value across Ntorya and Ruvuma as a whole. The company continues to work on further well plans to [pursue maximum] development of the field and looks forward to updating shareholders in the fourth quarter on the status of the Ntorya-3 well,” explains Aminex CEO Jay Bhattacherjee.

He adds that the development plan, which is now subject to review by the Tanzanian authorities,

incorporates the findings from consulting firm io oil & gas consulting’s gas commercialisation study and is a comprehensive review of the existing data. The plan includes the findings of recent mapping and the upgraded unrisked resource estimates of about 1.3-trillion cubic feet P Mean gas initially in place (GIIP).

Bhattacherjee points out that the plan takes into account several options for gas monetisation, including compressed natural gas, gas-to-power and directly connecting the gas produced from the Ntorya field to the Madimba gas processing plant, in south-eastern Tanzania, through an about 35 km spur line. The company has applied for the staged development of the field to allow for an early production system with existing wells and a programme that drills further development wells based on demand.

Early last month, the company announced a further GIIP material increase in its management estimate on the Ntorya appraisal area.

Bhattacherjee explains that this update is based on ongoing technical work, which includes data from the successful Ntorya-2 well appraisal and subsequent re-evaluation of existing seismic lines, including reprocessing of select seismic lines, and the detailed review of Ruvuma production sharing agreement (PSA) well data.

“The updated modelling, mapping and corresponding resource numbers continue to confirm that the Ruvuma basin is of significant importance to Tanzania and the company. We continue to work directly with the TPDC to create an optimal development plan so as to begin gas production from the licence as quickly as possible,” he says.

Bhattacherjee points out that these management estimates cover the Ntorya appraisal area only and do not include the potential of the adjoining exploration acreage. Aminex is in the process of engaging an independent third-party auditor to prepare an updated reserves and resource report on the Ntorya PSA.