Tullow Oil plc yesterday announced that the Owo-1 exploration sidetrack in the Deepwater Tano licence offshore Ghana has significantly extended the column of high quality light oil discovered by the Owo-1 well.

The UK oil explorer said results of drilling, wireline logs and samples of reservoir fluids confirm that Owo is a major new oil field.

The Owo-1 well, according to Tullow, encountered 53 metres of net oil pay and the sidetrack, drilled 0.6 km east of the Owo discovery well, encountered  an additional 16 metres of  net oil pay in the lower part of the same channel system.

Tullow said pressure data indicates that this oil pay is in communication with the reservoirs penetrated in the Owo-1 well and confirms at least 69 metres of total net oil pay in a substantial gross oil column of 200 metres.

Further wells are currently planned to appraise the adjacent Tweneboa oil and gas condensate accumulation of refine further estimates.

Exploration director, Angus McCoss added “the fact that the oil is concentrated in high quality channel sands greatly enhances our outlook for the efficient future development of both the Owo and Tweneboa fields.”

Tullow (49.95%) operates the Deepwater Tano licence and is partnered by Kosmos Energy Ghana (18%), Anadarko Petroleum (18%) Sabre Oil and Gas (4.05%) and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) (10% carried interest).