BHP Billiton, Eni and Sonatrach signed an agreement to extend the production sharing contract (PSC) for the Rhourde Ouled Djemma (ROD) and satellite fields in Blocks 401a/402a for an additional 10 years.

President Operations Petroleum, Steve Pastor, said “BHP Billiton is very pleased that the PSC for the ROD Unit will be extended and we look forward to working with our partners on the continuance of these resources.”

The agreement, pending final approval, also lays the foundation for the completion of the unitization process to connect the Sif Fatima field (SF), where Sonatrach has a 100 per cent stake, and the Sif Fatima North East (SFNE) field which is a part of the ROD Unit.

The ROD Unit consists of six satellite deposits in the Berkine Basin that pump oil back to a dedicated processing train. BHP Billiton has a 38 per cent non-operating interest and an entity comprised of Eni and Sonatrach is the operator.

About BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton Petroleum has exploration, development, production and marketing activities in more than a dozen countries around the globe, with a significant position in the deep water Gulf of Mexico, Onshore US and Australia. Petroleum also operates assets in the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago and Pakistan.

Our oil and gas strategy is to focus on material opportunities, at high working interest with a bias for operatorship. We also hold interests in exploration blocks where we explore for significant upstream opportunities in proven basins and promising prospects around the world using the latest seismic and geophysical technology to locate new resources.