Geology and politics are heating up as upstream exploration focus turns back to West Africa

Following the excitement over Ghana’s Jubilee field development and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation’sVenusfind off Sierra Leone, Vanco Energy Company’s plans to spud a well offshore Côte d’Ivoire in late December will beclosely watched. The failure ofAnadarko’s South Grand Lahou-1 wildcat in Block CI-105,meansVanco’s Orca 1-x well – to bedrilled in water depth of 1,827 metres, to a total depth of 3,661 metres on the deepwater Block CI-401 bordering Ghana – willbe a test of Côte d’Ivoire’s ability to join Ghana in attracting investors to theWest AfricanTransform Margin.