Production Decline and Maturity Assessment of the Rio Del Rey Basin, Cameroon: A Decade-Long Analysis (2012–2022)

Abstract

Donald Kuiekem*, Salomon Dominique Edimo Kingue, Romeo Kuete Noupa, William Boroh, Moise Bessong and Ismaila Ngounouno

The Rio Del Rey Basin, historically Cameroon's primary hydrocarbon province, is undergoing irreversible structural decline that threatens the country's energy security and economic stability. This study presents a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the basin's maturity through analysis of production, drilling, and reserves data from the National Hydrocarbons Corporation (SNH) from 2012 to 2022. Our findings reveal a critical reserves renewal crisis, evidenced by a 0% oil Reserve Replacement Ratio (RRR) in 2021–2022 and continuous erosion of the oil Reserves to Production (R/P) ratio. Simultaneously, the gas R/P ratio experienced a dramatic plunge following the 2018 startup of the Hilli Episeyo FLNG facility, marking Cameroon's strategic transition toward gas exploitation. The root causes are identified as systematic abandonment of oil exploration coupled with accelerated reservoir degradation. This research demonstrates that current maintenance drilling strategies yield diminishing returns and concludes that only immediate implementation of enhanced oil recovery techniques and strategic infrastructure repurposing can mitigate decline and maximize residual value from this mature basin.

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