For CC Energy Development (CCED), 2024 was an incredibly successful year. Not only did the company extract its 150 millionth barrel of oil, but it also made serious headway on several of its major ongoing projects.
“Our 150 millionth barrel was produced from blocks that were once overlooked and deemed unprofitable,” shared Managing Director Walter Simpson. “This proves just how much potential there is Oman. That’s why, following a very successful 2024, we are dedicating a significant portion of 2025 to exploring new horizons and campaigns to enhance our production rate.”
Serious dedication
One area that CCED is paying close attention to in 2025 is the greening of its production.
After committing to ending gas flaring by 2027, CCED initiated a major Gas-to-Power project back in 2023. Located in Blocks 3 & 4, this project was designed to significantly
reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, with reduction targets being initially estimated at 30%. Now, two years on, the company has made significant headway, having connected up a power plant in both blocks, along with over 90 wells and a number of camps and production stations.
CC Energy Development has dedicated its operations to unlocking Oman’s oil and gas potential, and 2025 is set to witness major strides in achieving this mission. From unlocking new wells to making serious strides on its Gas-to-Power project, Managing Director Walter Simpson revealed the latest, during an in-depth interview with Imogen Ward.
“The Gas-to-Power project has been very successful, and we have significantly reduced our diesel consumption as a result,” commented Mr Simpson. “Although we are already meeting our emissions reduction targets, we are keen to take this even further in 2025, by hooking up an additional 60 wells and two or three mobile camps.”
If successful, these additional measures will go a long way towards reaching CCED’s net zero target of 2050.
New partnerships are also on the cards for the company as it continues on a path of green investment. CCED has put out a request for new technology business
partners to find a solution to capture and utilise the stranded gas currently present at its power stations.
“We have very small quantities of gas that aren’t sufficient enough to drive a power plant but are going to a flare stack and contributing to our emissions,” said Mr Simpson. “So, we are looking for technology partners who can find a use for this excess. We have already put the challenge to the market, and we are excited to see what ideas come forward.”
All going well, CCED expects to locate several new partners before the end of this year, in order to begin working towards further flare reductions.
A positive result
CCED has also been busy processing data from the largest nodal-based onshore 3D programme in the world. Having dedicated the last two years to conducting nodal shoots in three key areas (northwest of Block 3, central Block 4 and west of Block 4), these shoots are now complete and have highlighted deep horizons worth exploring.
“We shot the three shoots separately, with the data from northwest of Block 3 the first to be extracted,” revealed Mr Simpson. “As a result of this first shoot, we are now looking for prospectivity in deep horizons, which is a new and quite challenging area for us.”
All going well, CCED aims to mature a prospect this year, before commencing
drilling next year. When it comes to central Block 4, CCED intends to focus its energy on previously successful prospects within the Khufai and Barik reservoirs. Although in an early stage of development, the central Block 4 prospects are already showing potential, and Mr Simpson is optimistic that drilling could begin as early as this year.
explained Mr Simpson. “However, by reprocessing our seismic data we will have a better success rate when targeting much smaller blocks. So far, the campaign has been very successful, adding significant production and reserves to our portfolio.”
So far, the company has been able to identify six viable wells ready for drilling, which (if successful) will take the company’s well count in these features to nearly 20.
Building on the reprocessing a large area of high-quality seismic data, CCED has also launched an appraisal drilling campaign to identify opportunities in low-relief fault blocks close to existing production.
“Often, when relief is low, small shifts in depth can result in the feature disappearing,”
“We are really focused on the areas with the most potential,” continued Mr Simpson. “All going well, we intend to continue working down the portfolio, with each success reducing well risk and making the challenging options more appealing.”
Partnered for success
Of course, none of these achievements would have been possible without CCED’s stellar support network. The company relies
on a whole chain of suppliers, partners and employees to ensure it is operating at its best.
“I’d love to say our success is all down to us,” joked Mr Simpson, “but that is simply not true. All our partners are incredibly important to us, but Mitsui Exploration & Production and Tethys, in particular, have been truly instrumental to our decision-making process while developing these blocks. And since Tethys was recently acquired by ROC Oil, we are now heading through 2025 with a brand-new partner, which is very exciting.”
Mr Simpson was also incredibly proud of the progress that CCED has made to enhance its nationalisation. Currently, its workforce consists of 92% Omani nationals, which is an amazing achievement that CCED is set to improve even further this year.
“We continue to work on our hugely important nationalisation agenda,” shared Mr Simpson. “While the overall number remains stable, we are focused on increasing the percentage of nationals in leadership, which is currently at 80 per cent. We are really pleased with the direction things are heading in.”
This is just one of many key initiatives that CCED is implementing as it remains dedicated to its long-term objective of adding value for Omani and US shareholders.
“When it comes to making decisions, we remain committed to minimising our environmental footprint and strengthening relationships with the communities we serve,” added Mr Simpson, in conclusion. “By prioritising efficiency, innovation and local partnerships, we ensure that our operations not only create value for our shareholders but also contribute to a more sustainable and prosperous future for all.” n
