The Venus oil discovery off the coast of Sierra Leone shows geological similarities to the giant Jubilee field in offshore Ghana, an Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC) executive said Wednesday.

"We learned that we've got a very robust reservoir system developed here," Bob Daniels, Anadarko's senior vice president for worldwide exploration, said in a conference call with analysts. "[It's the] same type of reservoir system we've found in jubilee."

The company hasn't yet determined whether the discovery is commercial, but it says it proves the existence of a new oil frontier stretching from Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire into Ghana. The discovery was announced by The Woodlands, Texas-based Anadarko and partner Tullow Oil PLC (TLW.LN) on Wednesday.

-By Angel Gonzalez, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9214; angel.gonzalez@dowjones.com