TotalFinaElf (30%) announces a second natural gas discovery offshore Trinidad on Block 2(c) in association with Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited (BHP the operator) and Talisman.

The new discovery well, Aripo-1, is located 40 kilometers off the northeastern coast of Trinidad, in a water depth of approximately 30 meters. Drilling encountered natural gas in a similar section to that successfully tested in the first exploration well, Angostura-1 in May 1999. Tests carried out on Aripo-1 showed a daily stabilized rate of 46.3 million standard cubic feet of natural gas. Angostura-1, located four kilometers southwest of Aripo-1, showed a daily flow rate of 30 million standard cubic feet.

This new success strengthens the potential for Block 2(c). Future plans will be determined following the evaluation of information obtained from the well. Trinidad has a very active gas industry based on petrochemicals and more recently LNG, with the first train beginning production last year.

This discovery confirms TotalFinaElf’s strategy for growth in the Americas where the Group is already present and where it is looking to develop in the area of gas and exploring deep offshore regions.