Total announces that its Nigerian Operating subsidiary, Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (EPNL), has made a significant discovery in the western Usan field area in the deepwater Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 222, offshore southeastern Nigeria.

The Usan 5 well, located around 110 kilometres offshore and 6 kilometres west of the Usan 4 discovery well in water depths of approximately 750 meters, is the fourth successful appraisal of the Usan field discovered in 2002.

Oil was sampled at Usan 5 in several levels confirming the presence of additional quantities of oil as well as further potential in previously untested reservoirs.

Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) is concessionaire for OPL 222 under a production sharing contract operated by Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd. (20 percent), in partnership with Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd., Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Ltd. and Nexen Petroleum Nigeria Ltd.

Present in Nigeria since 1962, Total’s equity production was 196,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2003.  The group also has a 15% partnership interest in the Bonny liquefaction plant, where trains four and five are presently under construction and the construction of a sixth has been approved.