Total signs 3 new exploration blocks in Angola

PARIS Dec 20 (Reuters) - Oil major Total on Tuesday said it had signed three offshore production sharing agreements with Angolan state oil producer Sonangol that will allow the French group to expand its presence in the oil rich African country.

Total said it would operate block 40 and block 25, with respective stakes of 50 percent and 35 percent. It will also have a 15 percent interest, but no operatorship, in block 39.

The three blocks are located in deepwater Kwanza Basin, which has been so far little explored, in water depths ranging from 700 to 3,400 metres.

Total said the blocks had geological similarities with the Santos and Campos Basins in Brazil, where major discoveries have been made in recent years.

(Reporting By Marie Maitre)