On 23 September 2019, partner Kosmos announced that the Yakaar 2 appraisal well, Cayar Profond block, deep waters of the MSGBC Basin, found gas. The well intersected 30 m of net gas pay in similar high-quality Cenomanian reservoir to the Yakaar 1 wildcat. Yakaar 2 was drilled approximately nine Km from Yakaar 1 and confirmed the southern extension of the field. The well was drilled in approximately 2,300 m of water and reached a total depth of around 4,800 m. The âValaris DS-12â rig is now moving to drill the Orca 1 exploration well in Mauritania which is the last in this yearâs program for BP in Senegal/Mauritania.  The Yakaar 2 well results confirm that the Yakaar-Teranga resource base can support a standalone gas development. The current (September 2019) view is that this would be a phased development with phase 1 providing domestic gas and data to optimize the development of future phases which would be LNG for export. Senegal signed a contract in August 2019 for a LNG-fuelled floating power plant. This will provide a sizeable domestic LNG demand which can be covered by the Yakaar development.  Available information suggests that BP is batch drilling the three following wells: Orca 1 in clock C-8, Yakaar 2 in Cayar Profond block and GTA 1 in GTA block.  The Yakaar 2 appraisal well was spudded around 8 May 2019 with the âEnsco DS-12â drillship which drilled the top-hole section before moving on to the GTA 1 location in the unitized GTA block. On 14 July 2019, the rig left the GTA 1 location to move to Dakar for maintenance. The âEnsco DS-12â was renamed âValaris DS-12â in the meantime. The rig moved to the Yakaar 2 location on 22 August 2019 and it is understood that as of early September drilling resumed on the well.  As of 4 April 2019, the âEnsco DS-12â had entered Mauritanian waters in preparation for BPâs drilling campaign in Senegal and Mauritania. In late October 2018 industry sources announced that BP contracted the âEnsco DS-12â drillship for two firm wells plus four one well options starting in April 2019 offshore Senegal. This rig has carried out the BP/Kosmos drilling campaign of 2017 when Yakaar was discovered. According to an update by Kosmos Energy, the 2019 drilling campaign will include an exploration well in Mauritania, one appraisal well in Senegal and one appraisal well in the unitized GTA block. The well in Senegal is Yakaar 2, on the Yakaar field in the Cayar Profond Block. The well in the GTA block will target the eastern portion of the Tortue/Ahmeyim field. Both fields are in deep waters of the MSGBC Basin.  In the second quarter of 2018, Kosmos indicated that an appraisal well of the Yakaar 1 gas discovery is planned for 2019.  In May 2017, Kosmos announced that the Yakaar 1 new field wildcat well discovered gas. The well intersected a gross hydrocarbon column of 120 m in three pools within the Lower Cenomanian objective and encountered 45 m of net pay. The reservoir sands which are of very good porosity and permeability according to Kosmos, are interpreted to be present over a very large area. The company estimates the gross Pmean gas resource discovered by Yakaar 1 at 15 Tcf. Preliminary analysis of gas samples indicates a condensate/gas ratio of 15 to 30 barrels per million standard cubic feet. The Yakaar well was drilled to a TD of 4,932 m.  Andrew Inglis, chairman and CEO of Kosmos said that the gas resource discovered in the Teranga â Yakaar area could support a second cost-competitive LNG hub (in addition to the one planned at Tortue).  The Yakaar prospect is a structural-stratigraphic trap in a large base of slope Lower Cenomanian turbidite fan with stacked and amalgamated sand channels (versus a single sand channel in Teranga-1). The hydrocarbon charge is believed to come from the Neocomian â Valanginian source rock which was interpreted to be in the oil generation window in the Yakaar area. The same source rock is believed to have charged Teranga 1 but in this inboard location, the burial depth is greater and the rock is in the gas generation window. Kosmos estimated pre-drill that the Yakaar prospect had a gross unrisked resource potential of 15 Tcf of gas and 750 MMb of condensate.  Participants in the Cayar Profond block are: Kosmos BP Senegal Ltd, operator with 65%, BP with 25% and Petrosen, the state oil company of Senegal, with 10%. In Kosmos BP Senegal Ltd, BP plc holds 49.99% while Kosmos holds 50.01%.
Yakaar 2 appr. (Kosmos BP Senegal Ltd 60%, BP 30%, Petrosen 10%) in Cayar Profond block, 9km south of the discovery, 30m net gas pay in the Cenomanian target, partner Kosmos comments the Yakaar-Teranga resource base is world-scale and has the potential to support an LNG project. Devt will be phased, Phase 1 providing domestic gas and data.