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Deputy Minister of Energy, Armah Kofi Buah, said government would ensure that companies operating in the oil and gas sector adhered fully to environmental laws governing the sector.
Speaking at the signing of a petroleum agreement in Accra for oil exploration in offshore Accra-Keta basin which cover an area of 2,000 square kilometres in deep and shallow water, Mr Buah said the oil spillage off the Gulf of Mexico should provide a wake-up call to improve enforcement of the environmental laws.
Led by Australia’s Tap Oil limited which has a 36-percent stake in the exploration deal will explore the area , which stretches east of the capital city, Accra, toward the border with neighboring Togo.
Closely-held U.S. explorer Afex International has 27 percent, Challenger Minerals Inc., a unit of Transocean Ltd. also holds 27 percent and state oil company Ghana National Petroleum Corp. owns 10 percent, according to the statement jointly issued by the companies.
During the exploration, the partners are expected to re-process 600 kilometres of 3D seismic data, acquire 850km of 2D seismic data and drill a single exploration well over the next two and a half years.
Mr Buah called on development partners to support the country's efforts to derive maximum benefits from the oil resources and urged them to adhere to the country's laws.
Nana Boakye Asafu-Adjaye, Managing Director of GNPC, said the partners had both the technical and financial capability to undertake the project through to fruition.
Mr Peter Stickland, CEO of Tap Oil Limited, expressed the partners' commitment to ensure the success of the project, saying the project team came to the field with different expertise.
Ghana’s Jubilee oilfield, which has potential resources of 1.8 billion barrels according to field operator Tullow Oil Plc, is off the western coast, near the border with Ivory Coast.
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