Exploration discoveries

	Vol. 229 No.4
ARTHUR BERMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, bermanae@gmail.com

Africa. Kosmos Energy made a second significant oil discovery in the Gulf of Guinea, Ghana, with its Odum-1 exploration well 32 mi offshore on the West Cape Three Points Block. The discovery is based on wireline logs and reservoir fluid samples that indicated a 197-ft gross/72-ft net oil column. The well was drilled in 3,151 ft of water to an 11,109-ft TD. The company’s previous discovery was the Mohogany-1 well, also drilled on the Three Points Block last year. Kosmos (operator) has a 30.875% interest in the block.

Asia. Eni reported an oil discovery in the Timor Sea, East Timor, with its Kitan-1 well drilled in Block JPDA06-105. The well flowed 6,100 bopd. It is located 310 mi northeast of the Australian coast and was drilled to an 11,707-ft TD. Eni (operator) has a 40% interest in the block in partnership with Inpex (35%) and Talisman Resources (25%).

Reliance Industries made two gas discoveries in the Bay of Bengal, India. The first discovery was made with its KGV-D3-A1 well on the KG-DWN-2003/1 Block (D3) in the Krishna Godavari Basin. No additional details have been released but the discovery is adjacent to the Dhirubhai 6 Block where gas reserves are about 11 Tcf. Reliance operates with 90% interest and Hardy Exploration & Production India holds the remaining 10%.

The second Reliance discovery was with Well NEC25-J1 located in the Mahanadi Basin offshore the Orissa coast, also in the Bay of Bengal, India. Pay was found in multi-Darcy gas sands in the upper Miocene from 8,150-8,187 ft. The well was drilled to a 9,600-ft TD in 1,568-ft waters. Reliance (operator) has 90% interest with partner Niko (10%).

Europe. StatoilHydro made a discovery offshore Norway in the Barents Sea, Block 7222/6. The Obesum well was drilled in 1,194 ft of water to a 9,269-ft TD. Few details were provided except that both oil and gas were found in Triassic reservoirs. StatoilHydro has 100% interest in the license area PL228.

Oilexco confirmed the 1997 Bugle Field discovery with an appraisal well on Block 15/23d in the UK sector of the North Sea, PL815. The well tested 7,400 bopd and 9.06 MMcfd of gas from a combined 282-ft column in the Dirk Sand, and another 280-ft column in the Upper Galley Sand. Nexen Petroleum (operator) has a 41% interest in the block in partnership with Oilexco (41%), and Eni UK (18%).

StatoilHydro discovered oil with the 25/11-25 S well in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, Block 25/11, in production license PL169 near the Grane Field. Pay was found above the Paleocene. The well was drilled in 410 ft of water to a 5,919-ft TD. StatoilHydro (operator) has a 57% interest.

Eni made a significant gas discovery off Norway in the North Sea on the Afrodite Prospect in production license PL293. Eni (operator) has a 45% interest along with its partners StatoilHydro (40%) and Idemitsu Kosan ( 15%).

Lundin Petroleum’s 7/4-2 appraisal well, drilled in Norway’s North Sea Blocks 7/7 and 7/4, confirms the extension of the 1992 Nemo Field discovery in production license PL148. The well was drilled to an 11,208-ft TD in the Permian Zechstein group. Pay was found in the Ula Formation but was not tested. This well increases reserve estimates for the field to between 20 and 30 million bbl of oil.

Oilexco’s 22/14b-8 appraisal well confirms and expands its oil discovery in Block 22/14b in the UK Central North Sea. A 452-ft oil column was found in the Jurassic Fulmar, and reserves for the Paleocene Forties reservoir have been increased since the June 2007 Huntington discovery. Fulmar sands flowed 39°API oil at a maximum rate of 4,624 bpd and 1.6 MMcfd. Oilexco operates with 40% interest.

DONG E&P Norge’s 1/3-10A delineation well confirms the Oselvar discovery in the Norway sector of the southern North Sea, Block 1/3. The well was drilled to an 11,916-ft TD in the lower Paleocene. The well results indicate recoverable reserves of 12.5-37.7 MMbo and 70.6-141.3 Bcf of gas. DONG E&P Norge operates the Oselvar discovery and appraisal well with 55% interest, in partnership with Revus Energy (30%) and Noreco (15%).

Middle East. PDO discovered significant oil reserves at the Budour Northeast Field, onshore Oman, with its Budour NE-2 well. The well was drilled as a confirmation well to the Budour NE-1 discovery announced last year, but encountered pay in a lower reservoir that tested 5,800 bopd. PDO is held 60% by the government of Oman, 34% by Royal Dutch Shell, 4% by Total, and 2% by Partex.

North America. PetroQuest Energy made a gas discovery at its Pelican Point prospect in Terrebonne Parish, southeast Louisiana. The well is capable of flowing about 20 MMcfe per day from 147 ft of net pay in Rob-L reservoirs. The well reached a 18,970-ft TD.

Redcliffe Exploration discovered oil the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin of Alberta. The Wapiti well tested at a stabilized rate of 750 bpd of 48°API oil and 2.6 MMcfd of sour gas at virgin reservoir pressures of 1,900 psi. Redcliffe is the operator and retains a 72% interest in the well.

Contango Oil & Gas found pay with its Mary Rose-3, an appraisal well in Louisiana state waters of the US Gulf of Mexico, State Lease 19266. The appraisal well increases estimated field reserves to 620 Bcfe from 435. Contango operates the block with 100% working interest.

South America. Petrominerales found oil in the Corcel-3 exploration/appraisal well drilled on the Corcel Block in Colombia. The well tested 240 bpd of 22.2°API oil and 62 bwpd flowing naturally, with 760 bopd and 198 bwpd on pump from pay in the Mirador and Guadalupe sandstone reservoirs. The well reached a 13,050-ft TD.

Anadarko announced plans to begin an exploratory drilling program in the Campos and Espiritu Santo Basins offshore Brazil to test the subsalt play that has resulted in at least three super-giant fields to date in Santos Basin. Anadarko (operator) has a 30% interest in BM-C-30 with Devon Oil (25%), EnCana (25%) and SK Energy (20%). Petrobras is the operator of Block BM-ES-24 with 40% interest, with partners Anadarko (30%) and EnCana (30%).

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