On 14 October 2017, Occidental together with Oman Oil Co Exploration & Production LLC (OOCEP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of state company Oman Oil Co SAOC (OOC), signed an Exploration & Production Sharing Agreement (EPSA) with the Omani Government for Block 30 (Hafar). The onshore block (1,185 sq km) is located in northern Oman and adjoins Occidental's Block 27 (Wadi Aswad) and Block 62 (Habiba).<P />The block has been awarded following the country's 2016 Licensing Round, which was launched in October 2016 and closed in February 2017. It was among a total of four blocks on offer, which are located in different parts of the country. <P />To date, gas has been discovered in four separate structures with reservoirs in the Cretaceous Natih and/or Shuaiba formations. These discoveries have not been fully appraised and adjacent structures remain undrilled. Altogether nine wells have been drilled, with six of those having encountered gas. Gas rates from DSTs and during long-term tests ranged from 7 MMcfg/d to 19 MMcfg/d. The last well, Hamrat Duru 4, was drilled by RAK Petroleum in 2010. It is understood that tight gas is the predominant play within the block and that there are currently two gas prospects mapped within the block.<P />Occidental operates the acreage with a 72.86% interest, with OOCEP holding the remaining 27.14%.
Oman, Block 30 (Hafar)