This single African oil site produces almost as much oil as the whole of Britain

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Angola

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Angolan youths play on the beach in the capital Luanda September 2, 2012.

France's Total just revealed that its oil production from one site near Angola, in Southern Africa, nearly exceeded Britain's overall output daily.

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In a regulatory statement, the energy giant said its operated deep offshore Block 17, located 150 km off the coast of Angola, produced a cumulative two billion barrels of oil. That makes it Total's most prolific site, producing over 700,000 barrels of oil (bbl/d) per day.

In comparison, according to the International Energy Agency, Britain produces around 800,000 bbl/d.

"Block 17 is a global benchmark in the deep offshore and represents a unique industrial adventure, with 15 discoveries and a very high level of production. Thanks to the commitment of our teams and a number of technological world firsts over the past 14 years, the production of Block 17 has continuously ramped up," said Arnaud Breuillac, President, Exploration & Production, in the regulatory statement.

"This milestone is a symbol of our strong position in the deep offshore sector. The Group is already the leading deep offshore operator in West Africa and is using this expertise to grow in other regions: in Brazil through its participation in the Libra field as well as in the United Kingdom with the coming start up of the Laggan-Tormore project in the deep offshore."

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Total employees 100,000 people across 130 countries. Total has been in Angola for 60 years. Total operates Block 17 with a 40% interest alongside Statoil (23.33%), Esso Exploration Angola Block 17 Ltd (20%) and BP Exploration Angola Ltd (16.67%).

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