As of 31 January 2018, Mebana Energy Limited is continuing the hunt for a partner on Block 9 located onshore in the North Cuban Province of Cuba. The company has been searching for a partner since November 2017 following the Cuban governmentâs refusal to grant Petro Australis the right to exercise a 40% back-in option on the block, as a result Melbana retains a 100% interest.    On 11 October 2017 Melbana Energy Limited announced the company had notified Cuba Petroleo Union (CUPET) authorities it has fulfilled all its commitments required for the 1st sub-period of exploration on the Block 9 PSC located onshore in the North Cuban Province. The commitments included reprocessing of 200 km of 2D seismic data and a number of geological studies. The 2nd sub-period of exploration starts on 3 November 2017 and has a term of 2 years and requires the drilling of one well on the block.  The company completed a prospectivity assessment of the 2,380 sq km block in February 2017 and estimates the block to contain 12.5 Bbbl of in-place oil resources, with prospective recoverable resources pegged at 637 MMbbl. Melbana also reported that it has identified 19 prospects and leads within the tract. Drilling in 2018 is expected to target the Alameda prospect, which will test three independent objectives with a deviated well, and possibly the Zapato or Piedra prospects. Costs for the two-well campaign are estimated at USD 20 â 30 million. The Cuban government is targeting accelerated oil exploration to increase its production volumes, currently reported to be approximately 45,000 b/d of oil plus 3 MMcm/d (100 MMcf/d) of gas.
Cuba, Block 9