Repsol has announced a new oil discovery in the Mediterranean Sea, 30 kilometres offshore from Tarragona, near the Casablanca oil rig.

The consortium comprises Repsol with a 65.42% stake, the Canadian company CNWL Oil (Espa�a), S.A. (an affiliate of Sherritt International Corporation) with 15.58%, and the Spanish companies CIEPSA (belonging to the Cepsa Group) with 15%, and LOCS with 4%.

The discovery was made by the Chipir�n-1 well, and production tests gave a flow of 7,000 barrels per day of excellent quality 40� API crude.

It is planned to put the Chipir�n-1 well on stream by installing a sub-sea wellhead connected to the Casablanca rig by a 10 kilometre pipeline across the sea bed. From there, the crude oil will be transported through the existing pipeline to Repsol�s refinery at Tarragona.

The Casablanca oil complex currently produces 6,500 barrels per day from the Casablanca, Rodaballo and Boquer�n fields. New production from the Chipir�n field will make it possible to at least double Spanish crude oil production from the Mediterranean Sea.