The Begonia-1 well is the second successful exploration well on Block 17/06, after the Gardenia-1 well. Drilled in a water depth of 453mt, the well discovered hydrocarbons in reservoir of Miocene age and produced more than 6,000 barrels per day of quality oil (36° API) during a production test.

Sonangol is the concessionaire of the Block 17/06. Tepa (Block 17/06) is the operator of the Block 17/06 with a 30% stake. Total’s partners in the block are Sonangol Pesquisa e Producao (30%), Sonangol Sinopec International Seventeen (27.5%), Acrep Bloco 17 (5%), Falcon Oil Holding Angola (5%) and Partex Oil and Gas (2.5%).

Total is present in Angola since 1953. In Angola, Total operated 491,000 barrels oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in 2009, and its SEC equity production amounted approximately 191,000boe/d. This production comes essentially from Blocks 17,0 and 14.

Deep offshore Block 17, operated by Total with a 40% interest, is Total’s principal asset in Angola. It is composed of four major zones: Girassol-Rosa and Dalia, which are currently producing; Pazflor, a project under development for a production start in 2011; and CLOV (based on the Cravo, Lirio, Orquidea and Violeta discoveries), a project for which the final investment decision should be taken soon.

Total is also the operator with a 30% stake in the ultra deep offshore Block 32, on which 12 discoveries were made, confirming the oil potential of the block. Pre-development studies for a first production zone in the central south eastern portion of the block are underway.

In addition, the Angola LNG project for the construction of a liquefaction plant near Soyo is designed to bring the country’s natural gas reserves to market. This project, on which Total holds a 13.6% stake, will be supplied by the associated gas from the fields on Blocks 0, 14, 15, 17 and 18. The project is underway with production expected to begin in 2012.