Ghana has made its first hydrocarbon discovery in a carbonate reservoir system, opening new possibilities for future exploration, President John Dramani Mahama said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a conference in the Western Region, Mahama said the find in the Deepwater Cape Three Points block, located around 148 kilometres (92 miles) offshore Ghana, had proved a new type of geological target for the country beyond oil- and gas-bearing sandstone reservoirs.
"It is the country's first successful test of a Cenomanian-Turonian carbonate play as a primary exploration target," he said, referring to the geological potential.
Planet One Oil Gas, which operates the block covering about 1,454 square kilometres with GOIL Upstream and state oil company Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, said in a release on Tuesday that hydrocarbons were found at its Nya Gyidie-1X exploration well.
Nya Gyidie-1X, which means, "have faith," in the local Akan language, was drilled in water depths of 2,289 metres (7,510 feet), the company said.
It was not immediately clear whether the discovery was oil or gas, and no volume estimates were given.
"Further evaluation is under way to determine the scale of the discovery and the appropriate development approach," Andaleeb Sehgal, Planet One's chief executive, said in response to questions from Reuters.
Sehgal said the company has the expertise needed for deepwater development and is committed to further onshore and offshore exploration drilling over the next 12 to 18 months.
Energy Minister John Jinapor said in the release that the find was a significant milestone in efforts to revitalise the upstream sector and attract investment.
Ghana's existing commercial discoveries have been in sandstone formations.
In June, Mahama announced $3.5 billion in new upstream investment commitments as the government seeks to replace reserves and boost output.
(Reporting by Emmanuel Bruce; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Jonathan Spicer)