Vaalco Energy Inc. 3 月 3 日表示，该公司已在西非科特迪瓦近海的 CI-705 区块进行勘探。Vaalco 将通过商业承包协议成为该区块的运营商，拥有 70% 的工作权益和 100% 的支付权益，并与科特迪瓦勘探石油天然气公司和PETROCI建立合作伙伴关系。

Vaalco 投资 300 万美元收购了新区块的权益。

CI-705 区块面积约 2,300 平方公里，勘探程度较低，目前已钻探 3 口井。整个区块的水深范围为零至 2,500 米。

CI-705 区块位于储量丰富的塔诺盆地，距离 Vaalco 的 CI-40 区块（Baobab 油田和 Kossipo 油田所在地）以西约 70 公里，距离埃尼公司最近发现的卡劳油田以西 60 公里。

Vaalco 首席执行官乔治·麦克斯韦尔 (George Maxwell) 表示：“我们非常高兴能够扩大我们在科特迪瓦近海的业务范围。”“当我们宣布于 2024 年作为 CI-40 区块的非运营合作伙伴进入该国时，我们表示很高兴能够将我们的业务重点扩展到一个成熟且投资友好的国家。我们认为 CI-705 区块位于一个成熟的石油系统中，地理位置优越，靠近现有的基础设施，可以进入强劲增长的国内市场，具有诱人的上行潜力。”

根据协议条款，Vaalco 将以商业条款协助其合作伙伴完成地震再处理和解释阶段，并可能钻探最多两口勘探井。

马克斯韦尔表示：“我们初步评估认为，该区块既有石油，也有天然气，我们计划进行详细的综合地质分析，以评估和完善我们对该区块整体勘探潜力的理解。”“我们通过过去执行的增值收购，证明了我们收购、开发和提升价值的能力。我们也对我们计划在 2025 年和 2026 年实施的重大项目感到兴奋，这些项目预计将为我们整个投资组合的有机增长带来重大变化。我们很高兴有另一个机会为 Vaalco 的未来增加价值和发展空间。”

Vaalco Energy Inc. has farmed into West Africa’s CI-705 Block offshore Côte d’Ivoire, the company said March 3. Vaalco will become operator of the block with a 70% working interest and a 100% paying interest though a commercial carry arrangement and is partnering with Ivory Coast Exploration Oil & Gas SAS and PETROCI.

Vaalco invested $3 million to acquire its interest in the new block.

Block CI-705 covers approximately 2,300 sq km and is lightly explored with three wells drilled to date on the block. The water depth across the block ranges from zero to 2,500 m.

The CI-705 Block is located in the prolific Tano Basin and is approximately 70 km to the west of Vaalco’s CI-40 Block, where the Baobab and Kossipo oil fields are located, and 60 km west of Eni’s recent Calao discovery.

“We are very excited to expand our footprint offshore Côte d’Ivoire,” said Vaalco CEO George Maxwell. “When we announced our entry into country in 2024 as a non-operating partner in the CI-40 block, we noted our excitement to be expanding our West African focus in a well-established and investment-friendly country. We believe the CI-705 block is favorably located in a proven petroleum system, near existing infrastructure with access to a strong growing domestic market with attractive upside potential.”

Under the terms of the farm-in, Vaalco will carry its partners at commercial terms through the seismic reprocessing and interpretation stages and potentially drilling up to two exploration wells.

“Our initial assessment is that there are both oil and natural gas prospects on the block and we plan to conduct a detailed, integrated geological analysis to assess and mature our understanding of the block’s overall prospectivity,” Maxwell said. “We have demonstrated our ability to acquire, develop and enhance value with the accretive acquisitions we have executed in the past. We are also excited about the major projects that we have planned in 2025 and 2026, which are expected to deliver a step-change in organic growth across our portfolio. We are pleased to have yet another opportunity to add value and runway for Vaalco’s future.”