In March 2020 Total reported that it finalized an agreement to take over Repsol's 22.6% stake in the Tin Fouye Tabankort (TFT) field, Illizi Basin, south-east of Algeria. The deal is subject to government approval.   If accepted, the deal will be another step of Total's expansion in Algeria. It follows the company's take-over of Maersk's interests in the Berkine Basin fields in 2017 and the purchase of Anadarko's stake and opertatorship in the same Berkine Basin fields which is currently under negotiation. If all these deals go through, Total will overtake Eni as the largest liquids producer among the IOC's operating in Algeria.  In September 2018 the new TFT concession contract signed between Repsol, Total, Sonatrach and Alnaft was officially approved by the council of ministers. In June 2018 Total reported that it signed a new concession contract with Sonatrach, Repsol and Alnaft on the TFT field. The new contract will replace the existing one which was due to expire in 2019. It will allow to continue production at the field for another 25 years. Interests in the new concession are: Sonatrach 51%, Total 26.4% and Repsol 22.6%.  The partners will carry out drilling and investments required to develop additional reserves estimated at more than 250 million barrels of oil equivalent including around 1 Tcf of dry gas. These investments of around 324 million USD will allow to maintain the production of the field which is currently over 80,000 b/d of oil equivalent for six years. It is planned to drill 11 new production wells.  The new concession is a result of a framework agreement signed in 2017. Under the agreement, Sonatrach and Total are strengthening the existing partnership between the two companies. The agreement established a new contractual framework for the Timimoun gas development, enabled continued joint operations on the TFT gas-condensate field, provided for the joint development of a new project and arranged a settlement of outstanding differences between the two companies.  Background information  The TFT field is a giant gas and oil field and is considered as one of the largest hydrodynamic trap in the world. The field was discovered in February 1961, with new-field wildcat Tin Fouye 1. The two main reservoirs are the Upper Ordovician Gara Louki Formation (oil & gas) at a depth of 1,400 - 1,500m and in the Lower Emsian F6 Sandstone Unit (oil) at 750m. The main Gara Louki reservoir has been subdivided into two superimposed geological units which are in vertical pressure communication. The upper unit has a coarser facies and extends over the whole of the reservoir with a constant thickness of between 10 and 20m from west to east. The lower unit is more laterally discontinuous with rapid lateral facies changes and displaying much poorer reservoir characteristics. Gross reservoir thickness of the Gara Louki Formation varies from 0 - 59m.  Oil production started in 1961 from the F6 sandstone reservoir, but output went into a gradual decline. Water injection began in 1980 in the Ordovician reservoir.   On 28 January 1995, Sonatrach, Total and Repsol announced that they had signed a 20 year production-sharing contract for the development of the gas, condensate and LPG reserves of the TFT field. Commercial gas production started in March 1999.
Algeria, Gara