UK oil and gas company, Tullow, has resumed drilling at its flagship field in Ghana with what it described as a “better than expected” result at its new well.
The J72-P well, located in the Jubilee field offshore Ghana, began production at the end of July and is the first of two new wells planned for 2025 under the company’s ongoing drilling campaign.
The resumption of drilling comes months after the company recorded production challenges at Jubilee, one of Ghana’s key oil producing assets.
Tullow said the newly drilled J72-P well showed better than expected net pay a measure of hydrocarbon bearing rock which could support improved output in the second half of the year.
“In Ghana, we have already taken actions to address the recent under performance at Jubilee, with further optimisation potential identified,” said Richard Miller, Tullow’s Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive Officer.
“We have recommenced drilling and have successfully completed and brought on stream the first of two planned 2025 production wells at Jubilee, with better than expected net pay during drilling,” he added in the company’s Half Year Results.
The second well in the plan, J73-P, is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Drilling operations are being carried out by the Noble Venturer, a deep water drill ship owned by Noble.
The rig, which was built in 2014 at Samsung Heavy Industries in Korea, is capable of operating in water depths of up to 12,000 feet (3,658 metres) and drilling to depths of 40,000 feet (12,192 metres).
Tullow contracted the rig in December 2024 for a six well drilling programme. It is expected to drill two production wells this year.
After that, the drill ship will be taken offline for a mandatory Special Period Survey, which includes major maintenance such as thruster replacement.
Drilling is expected to take around 120 days before the Noble Venturer is paused. The remaining four wells under the contract are planned for execution in 2026.
Beyond the ongoing drilling campaign, Tullow is also processing data from a 4D seismic survey carried out in the first quarter of 2025. The company said the results would help confirm drilling locations for its future wells.
An additional Ocean Bottom Node seismic survey is scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year.
Tullow mentioned that this dataset will support further infill drilling in both the Jubilee and TEN fields.
The oil firm operates both fields under two licences: West Cape Three Points (WCTP) and Deep water Tano (DWT). The company noted a milestone in securing a memorandum of understanding with the Ghanaian government to extend the two licences to 2040.
The extension is expected to unlock additional value from Jubilee and TEN, as well as allow for up to 20 new wells to be drilled in the Jubilee field.
As part of the agreement, Tullow and its partners committed to increasing gas supply to 130 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscf/d).
The development plan is expected to attract investments of up to $2 billion over the remaining life of the licences.
The Jubilee field lies in water depths ranging from 1,100 to 1,700 metres and is located about 60 kilometres offshore western Ghana. It was discovered in 2007, with production starting in late 2010.
Tullow holds a 38.98% operating interest in the field. Its partners include Kosmos Energy (28.61%), Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (16.69%), and PetroSA (2.72%).
