Total finds extension to Nigeria's Usan offshore oil field

French oil giant Total has announced the discovery of more oil in Nigeria's offshore Usan field.

Two appraisal wells, drilled this year by Total's Nigerian subsidiary, Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd., confirmed an eastern extension of the Usan field, Total said in a statement Tuesday.

Last year, a western Usan extension was confirmed by the drilling of two other appraisal wells.

The Usan field, some 110 km offshore in water depths of 800 meters, was discovered in 2002.

Total said it plans to seek approval from the Department of Petroleum Resources to develop the field in the near future.

"The plan features a development of the Usan field with 35 subsea wells connected to a 2 million barrel capacity floating production storage and offloading by subsea lines and risers," the statement said.

The offshore facility will have the capacity to process around 150,000 barrels of oil per day. First oil is planned by 2010, it said.

Total entered Nigeria in 1962 and produced 271,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2004.

Source: Xinhua