Petroleum Exploration in Morocco

PETROLEUM,Drilling Activity , Exploration history Prospectivity of Basins, Exploration activity Promotion ,Activities Partnership and cooperation , Exploitation and production activity

Petroleum Exploration in Morocco started early in the last century and covers five major periods:

The period between 1900 and 1928 saw petroleum exploration in the Rharb Basin at the vicinity oil seeps. This led to the discovery of the Ain Hamra oil pool in 1923.The period from 1928 to 1958 saw the creation of BRPM (Bureau de Recherches et d’Exploitations Minières) in 1928, and the SCP (Société Chérifienne de Pétrole) in 1929 that carried out most of petroleum exploration activities.
Seismic reflection techniques were first introduced, in the Rharb and Prerif basins in 1935. It is not until 1955 that this tool was used to explore the Essaouira, Souss and Guercif basins. Oil and gas discoveries were made in the Prerif Ridges and in the Sidi Fili Trend. Cumulative production during this period reached 8 million barrels of oil.

From 1958 to 1981, the Hydrocarbon Law was passed and attracted international investments. Exploration by BRPM and its partners was extended to cover most of the basins of Morocco. Wells drilled during this period revealed commercial oil and gas accumulations in the Essaouira and Rharb Basins. By the end of 1981, cumulative production was 9 million barrels of oil and 35 BCF of gas.From 1981 to 2003, ONAREP (Office National de Recherches et d’Exploitations Pétrolières) was created by the moroccan government, with a mandate to explore for hydrocarbons in Morocco both by itself and jointly with foreign petroleum companies. Since the creation of ONAREP, 85 wells have been drilled, 50 of which were jointly with international companies. This activity led to the discovery of the gas/condensate field at Meskala (Essaouira) and of several biogenic gas accumulations in the Rharb Basin.

The Hydrocarbon Law was amended in 1992 and in 2000 providing Oil and Gas investors with some of the most attractive fiscal terms available internationally.

 In 2003, ONHYM was created as a merger of ONAREP and BRPM, beginning a new era with a dynamic strategy and improved synergy to adequately assess both the Hydrocarbon and Mining Potential of Morocco.



To date, 18 797.25 Km² of 3D seismic and 160 649.00 Km of 2D seismic data have been acquired offshore.  Also, 47 217.00 Km of 2D seismic and 1 283.00 Km² of 3D seismic data have been acquired onshore.

Close analysis of success, and failure, of various exploration programs undertaken in Morocco demonstrate the attractiveness of the hydrocarbon opportunities of the country and suggest new hydrocarbon exploration concepts as well as new prospects awaiting for drilling.

Morocco is underexplored in terms of petroleum exploration and is considered as frontier zones.
The analysis of the data base of the existing wells underlines three important facts:
The number of hydrocarbon exploratory wells is extremely low in most  basins;Many wells did not reach their objectives due to technical problems, or were spudded  off structure;The number of exploration concepts tested so far is very limited.
 It should be noted that exploration drilling activity for hydrocarbons has, so far, been based only on sporadic exploration programs. It therefore lacks the momentum needed to develop exploration ideas and establish efficient guidelines that lead to a discovery. Hydrocarbon discoveries have typically been made only in areas where sustainable effort of continuous exploration programs and adequate exploration drilling activity were undertaken.

Several viable petroleum systems, with good hydrocarbon potential, exist in Moroccan sedimentary basins.
Recent studies, integrating regional synthesis studies with substantial volumes of seismic data, particularly in the offshore, have generated new exploration concepts. These studies have also defined many structures that wait to be drilled.

 SOURCE ROCKS

The data base so far available has permitted the delineation of the following facies as potential source rocks:

Palaeozoic

The Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian organic facies are predominantly sapropelic (type II kerogen) although, in places, these facies are becoming lipidic (type I kerogen). These Palaeozoic organic facies are widespread over the whole Moroccan territory and constitute the continuation of those encountered in Algeria and North Africa in general. The Carboniferous organic facies, however, is predominantly humic (type III kerogen). The Silurian source rocks with TOC value of up to 12 % (Tadla Basin) are the most important. The Ordovician and Devonian sequences exhibit interesting source rock intervals with TOC values in the order of 4 % in the same basin. Visean and Namurian sequences contain shaly intervals with humic organic facies (type III kerogen) having TOC values around 1.5 % in the High Plateaux. Similar facies are also encountered in the Tadla Basin. The Westphalian and the Stephano-Autunian organic facies with frequent coaly and lignitic intervals yielded TOC values in excess of 30 % in the High Plateaux and Argana valley. Some oils sampled from reservoirs or well shows in the Prerif (Tselfate field), Doukkala, Tadla, and Essaouira basins are interpreted to be generated from Palaeozoïc source rocks.


Triassic

The synrift sequence, infilling Triassic graben and half graben along the Atlantic coastal basins, may yield excellent lacustrine (type I kerogen) source rock. These intervals have been tested in the Doukkala Basin. TOC values are in the order of 2.5 %.

Jurassic

Recent geochemical survey shows that the Rif, the Middle and the High Atlas basins contain rich Lower Jurassic (Liassic) source rock. The organic facies is predominantly amorphous type II kerogen with TOC values up to 10 % and within the oil window in most places. This facies is producing oil in the Prerif Ridges and is the source for many seeps distributed throughout the Prerif and the Middle Atlas areas.

The petroliferous character of this Jurassic organic facies may have a widespread distribution. The oil at Sidi Rhalem field in the Essaouira Basin is produced from Oxfordian shale (TOC up to 4 %). The oils produced in the Cap Juby structure in the Tarfaya Basin were probably sourced from Jurassic marly facies. In the Tarfaya-Layoune-Dakhla Basin, Lower and Middle Jurassic organic facies have TOC values ranging from 1.47 to 2.49 %.
Cretaceous

Marine organic facies (Aptian-Albian and Cenomano-Turonian) are, by far, the richest in organic matter with TOC up to 20 %. These facies are widespread over most of Moroccan sedimentary basins. Under adequate burial, the Cretaceous marine organic facies may constitute an excellent effective source rock. Recent synthesis shows that this could be the case in the Rif, Tadla and, basinward, in the offshore Atlantic basins.

Neogene

the Neogene (Oligocene and Miocene) marls and shales have TOC values of up to 7 % in the Atlantic basins and up to 2 % in the Mediterranean offshore area. This source rock produces biogenic gas but can yield oil where sufficiently buried. This is seen particularly in the Rharb Basin where we have either biogenic gas or oil production, depending on the depth of burial of this source rock.

 Reconnaissance survey of the Boujdour coastal area: Interpretation of 2D seismic data acquired in 2007, drilling of a stratigraphic well and study of the regional fracturating. A seismic program of 300 km is planned in the south area of Boujdour.Development of Meskala and Toukimt fields: Interpretation of 3D seismic acquired in late 2007-early 2008 and drilling of a well on the most promising block.Play concepts control of the El Jadida-Ifni offshore segment : 2D/3D seismic interpretation, petroleum reevaluation of the interest area and promotion of free zonesFollow-up of the partners work, including the planned exploration drilling of several wells (Gharb, Prérif, Bouanane, Tanger-Larache Offshore), the seismic acquisition on the Bas Draa, Boudenib, Tarfaya and Haha, and the geological and geophysical studies and the interpretations of the other reconnaissance’s licenses and permits.Stratigraphic datings, geochemical assessment of the formations crossed by ONHYM drilling wells and those planned by the partners. Promotion of the offshore segments of onshore areas of the Eastern Prérif and Southern provinces.Development of petroleum GIS with the transcription of the seismic data and scanning of the well data.Development of a credible and sustainable investment policy for the shared SI.Definition of operating modes between the DSI and the trades to implement the selected SI projects.Developing a portfolio of projects for the 2007-2011 period, classified into four categories.
Partner Exploration Projects are:

Provisional Programs of our partners on the reconnaissance’s zones and permits include:


Geological surveys and reprocessing of seismic data, in the context of regional reconnaissance studies on Guercif, Missour, Tadla, Haouz, High Atlas, Haha, Ouarzazate, Boudenib and Tarfaya onshore basins.2D seismic acquisition campaigns planned for Bas Draa, Haha, Boudenib, Prerif, Gharb and Tarfaya onshore blocks to control play concepts.Assessment of oil recovery prospects defined either in onshore and offshoreDrilling exploration wells on the Tangiers, Tissa-Ouezzane, Tselfat, Asilah, Bouanane permits and on the Gharb Basin blocks, to test various identified prospects.