French Total’s Africa President for Exploration and Production, Guy Maurice, said that the company expects first production from Congo Republic’s offshore Moho Nord field to add an extra 100,000b/d when it starts early 2017, Reuters reported.

The Moho Bilondo Phase 1b project is located Pointe-Noire coast at water depths between 2,400ft and 4,000ft. Total started production at the field late 2015, according to Offshore Technology. Part of the Moho Nord subsea project, Moho Bilondo Phase 1b has 11 wells tied back to an existing floating production unit. The $10bn Moho Nord project involved a tension-leg platform, a floating production unit with a processing capacity of 100,000b/dy, and an 80km pipeline connected to the onshore Djeno Terminal.

Total E&P Congo operates the Moho Bilondo license with a 53.5% interest, Chevron Overseas has a 31.5% stake while the national oil company Société Nationale des Pétroles du Congo has the remaining 15% interest.

In related Congo exploration news, Egypt Oil&Gas reported early October that Tanzania and the Congo have signed a memorandum of understanding for joint exploration and development of hydrocarbons in Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika, which straddles the border between Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Zambia, is the world’s second largest by volume and second deepest.