Caithness currently holds interests in three exploration permits and three exploitation
concessions onshore Morocco through its wholly owned subsidiary,
Cabre Maroc Limited:
- Rharb Centre (exploration permit)
- Zhana-1, Zhana-2 and SAR-1 (exploitation concessions within the area of the Rharb Centre exploration permit)
- Rharb Sud (exploration permit)
- Fès (exploration permit)
Our partner in the blocks is the Office National des
Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM), the Moroccan state hydrocarbons
and mines company, which holds a 35% interest in the Zhana 1
exploitation concession and 25% interest in all our other blocks.
Caithness holds the remaining 75% or 65% interest and is
Operator.
The Rharb Centre, Rharb Sud and Fès permits together
cover an area of approximately 4,300 sq km (1,000,000 acres).
Rharb basin
The Rharb Centre exploration licence and the western part of the
Rharb South exploration licence are in the Rharb basin which
contains shallow Miocene gas fields.
We have discovered and successfully brought into production
several gas fields and these are covered by the three exploitation
concessions. We run a profitable business selling gas to local
industrial customers.
We have identified many further gas prospects which we plan to
develop in the coming years in order to fulfil the large local
demand for gas. Exploitation concessions will be awarded over the
areas of gas fields discovered.
Prerifan Ridges and Central Prerif
The eastern part of the Rharb Centre licence lies within the
prerifan ridges and central prerif domain. Historically there has
been oil production from shallow reservoirs which have now been
drained. We are working on deeper prospects.
Fès Permit
The Fès permit lies within the prerif domain to the east
of the Rharb basin from which it is separated by the prerifan
ridges and central prerif.
It is an overthrust area with potential for very large
discoveries of gas and oil. We have mapped a number of large
prospects and leads. In October 2008, we spudded FES-1, the first
deep well on the Fès permit. The well has tight hole
status.
In the winter of 2009/2010 we acquired a detailed airborne full tensor gravity gradiometry survey over the permit. This has been processed and interpreted and has confirmed the high prospectivity of this permit.
Taounate Licence
In October 2009, Cabre was awarded a one-year reconnaissance licence over the Taounate block, which covered an area of circa 4,700 sq km immediately to the north-east of the Fès permit. This area is shown in the map at the bottom of the page. Our exploration programme comprised field geology work, including the preparation of a structural model for the area, together with a gravity gradiometry survey, which was acquired concurrently with the Fès survey.
The results of our technical work on Taounate to date have been extremely encouraging and we have reached agreement in principle to acquire exploration permits over the area.
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