The gross domestic product (GDP) of Mozambique in 2009 was estimated at $20.2 billion. A single natural gas development project now being proposed by ENI would more than double the country’s GDP.

ENI has said it would invest $50 billion developing its 22.5 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas in its offshore Mozambique discovery with a liquefied natural gas project. The company would target Asian markets for the LNG.

In late November, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. more than doubled the estimated gas reserves at its field in the region to 30 Tcf. Two Indian companies each have a 10% interest in the block and are participating in an effort to build another liquefaction facility. Those companies would like to export LNG to India.

Deepwater drilling has begun to open the taps on some of the largest natural gas discoveries anywhere in the world in the last 10 years. And, the drilling continues with ENI scheduling four new wells.

Anadarko is moving the

Belford Dolphin drillship to the Barquentine-4 appraisal well. A second deepwater drillship, the

Deepwater Millennium, is mobilizing to the area to accelerate the exploration program.

In Tanzania, Ophir Energy and BG Group have had success in three wells offshore with estimated reserves around 1.5 Tcf. In July, BG took over as operator of three blocks offshore southern Tanzania.

However, Tanzania still has a lot of unexplored acreage in 10 major sedimentary basins. The most active areas are in the offshore portions of the Ruvuma, Rufiji and Mafia basins, according to a report by Rahul Gupta, analyst, oil and gas, GlobalData, entitled “Oil & Gas Exploration in Emerging African Markets—Analysis of Exploration & Development Plans of Key Companies.”

The country has emerged as a major frontier exploration area and has witnessed significant gas discoveries in several basins, according to the report. Exploration activities are conducted in both offshore and onshore basins.

The Mafia Basin covers 20,000 square kilometers, including Mafia and Songo Songo islands. An extension of the basin, which is known as the Mafia deep offshore basin, is the key basin for exploration. The basin has 13 planned exploration blocks.

The Ruvuma Basin is in the southeastern coastal zone of Tanzania, adjacent to Mozambique. The basin covers about 16,000 square kilometers and has six active exploration blocks, the report stated.

The Rufiji Basin is the same size as the Ruvuma Basin. The basin is not yet fully explored. The sedimentary section generally thickens from west to east with Karoo and post-Karoo deposits in the deepest parts of the basin. There are three active and two planned exploration blocks in the basin.

Onshore, the area with the most activity is the Tanganyika Basin with two active exploration blocks. This basin is within the East African Rift System, noted GlobalData.

Five other onshore basins—Rukwa, Ruhuhu, Kilosa, Malagarasi and Eyasi-Wembere—each have one planned exploration block.

Kenya is also attracting a high level of interest. In 2005, Kenya had six licensed exploration blocks and two oil and gas companies. This year, that number has risen to 25 licenses and 12 companies .

The country’s oil and gas resources are concentrated in four sedimentary basins—the Lamu, Anza, Mandera and Tertiary Rift. The Lamu Basin is the most active with 23 exploration blocks. The basin covers 132,720 square kilometers from the Somalia border to the Tanzania border in the southeastern part of the country. It includes both onshore and an offshore regions in the Indian Ocean.

The Tertiary Rift Basin consists of five sub-basins covering 38,904 square kilometers in the western part of the country. There are eight exploration blocks.

Madagascar shares the Madagascar Channel with Mozambique. There are three basins on the western side of the island nation and two on the Indian Ocean. The three major exploration basins are Ambilobe, Mazunga and Morodava in the Madagascar Channel. The Cap Sainte Marie Basin on the southeast side of the island and the East Coast Basin are the two offshore basins in the Indian Ocean, noted GlobalData.

The Morondava Basin along the southwest coast is the most active with 16 exploration blocks. This basin also contains the Tsimiroro and Bemolanga fields.

The Majunga Basin, which is between the Morondava and Ambilobe Basins on the west side of the island, has six active exploration blocks. The basin covers about 35,000 square kilometers. There are three active exploration blocks in the Ambilobe Basin, which is at the north end of the island. The Cap Sainte Marie Basin has one active exploration block.