Exploration discoveries

	Vol. 229 No. 8
ARTHUR BERMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, bermanae@gmail.com

Africa. BG has discovered a 200-ft gas column with its RM-1 well on the Hassi Ba Hamou Permit in Algeria. The well tested 8.7 MMcfd and was drilled to a 3,645-ft TD. BG (operator) has a 36.75% interest in partnership with Gulf Keystone (38.25%) and Sonatrach (25%).

Kosmos Energy’s Mahogany-2 appraisal well in the Jubilee Field, offshore Ghana, confirmed the Mahogany-1 discovery, and successfully tested a second reservoir in the Upper Mahogany reservoir that flowed 4,448 bopd and 5.1 MMcfg. Based on tests in the second well, Jubilee is expected to flow 20,000 bopd when fully developed.

Tullow Oil found oil and gas in its Ngege-1 exploration well that was drilled in Blocks 1 and 2 of the Lake Albert Rift Basin, Uganda. The well encountered 46 ft of pay in two reservoir intervals, and was drilled to a 2,100-ft TD. The oil is 30-32°API gravity. Tullow has 100% interest in the block.

Asia. China National Offshore Oil Corporation Limited (CNOOC) reported a discovery in Bohai Bay, China with its Ken Li 10-1-1 well. The well tested 980 bopd and 100 Mcfd from 186 ft of pay. The location is in 56 ft of water and was drilled to a 10,328-ft TD.

Petronas Carigali discovered gas with its Saqib-1A well in Block 2769-4, onshore Pakistan, (Sindh Province). The well flowed 25 MMcfd and 60 bcpd, and was drilled to a 12,402-ft TD. Petronas Carigali Pakistan (operator) has a 57% interest in partnership with Eni (38%), and Pakistan’s Government Holding Private Ltd. (5%).

Lundin Petroleum made an oil discovery with its Morskaya-1 well in the Lagansky Block, Caspian Sea, Russia. The well found pay in Aptian and Neocomian sandstone reservoirs, but no details were released. The well was drilled to a 6,834-ft TD in 6 ft of water.

MOL (Hungarian national oil company) made a discovery with its Rozhkovskaya-U-10 well drilled in the Federovskoye Block, onshore Kazakhstan, near the giant Karachaganak Field. The well tested 1,503 bopd and 8.24 MMcfd, and was drilled to a 14,322-ft TD. MOL (operator) has 27.5% interest in partnership with Exploration Ventures Limited (50%) and Sinopec International (22.5%).

Petrovietnam discovered gas with its Te Giac Den-1X sidetrack well on Prospect E in Block 16-1 in the South China Sea, offshore Vietnam. The well flowed gas and condensate to the surface from Oligocene reservoirs below volcanics. Petrovietnam (operator) has 41% interest, along with PTTEP (28.5%), SOCO Vietnam (28.5%), and Opeco (2%).

Europe. Lundin Petroleum made an oil and gas discovery in the North Sea (UK) with its 21/84 well (Torphins) on P1107, Block 21/8. The well found a 28 ft hydrocarbon column in Paleocene reservoirs. Lundin Petroleum (operator) has 40% interest in partnership with Revus, (50%), and Challenger Minerals (North Sea) Limited (10%).

StatoilHydro discovered gas in the Barents Sea, Norway in the Ververis prospect in Block 7226/2. The well found pay in middle Jurassic sandstones. The well was drilled to 9,817-ft TD in 1,138-ft water depth. StatoilHydro (operator) has 50% interest in partnership with BG Norge (30%) and Petoro (20%).

Oilexco discovered oil and gas condensate in its Moth well drilled in Block 23/21 of the central North Sea (UK). Gross pay of 605 ft was found in Middle Jurassic Pentland sands below 13,276 ft, and 219 ft of pay in the Upper Jurassic Fulmar sands below 12,982 ft. Oilexco has a 50% interest along with operator BP (11.1%), BG (30.55%) and Hess (8.35%).

BG has made a gas discovery in the North Sea (Norway) with its Jordbaer well in Block 34/3 in production license PL 373S. Unrisked reserves are estimated at 370 MMboe. The location is 12 mi northeast of the Kvitebjorn Field in 1,345 ft of water. BG (operator) has a 45% interest in partnership with Idemitsu (25%), Revus (20%) and RWE Dea (10%).

StatoilHydro found gas with its Galtvort well, Block 6407/8d in the Norwegian Sea. The well has estimated recoverable reserves of 35-106 Bcfg from lower Jurassic reservoirs. The well was drilled to a 7,546-ft TD in 876 ft of water. StatoilHydro (operator) leads a six-company consortium.

Bridge Resources tested 42.5 MMcfd and 1,341 bcpd in its Durango 48/21a-4z in Block 4821a of the North Sea (UK). Bridge is the operator with 100% interest.

Middle East. Belarusneft and Petro Iran made a new pool discovery in the Jofeyr Field in Iran. The new reservoir in the Fahilan Formation is estimated to hold 750 MMbbl of oil-in-place at a depth of 15,421 ft., and should produce about 8,000 bopd by 2011.

North America. Mariner Energy made a deepwater US Gulf of Mexico discovery with its Geauxpher well in Garden Banks 462. Reserves are estimated at 100 bcfe. The well was drilled to a 23,156-ft TD in 2,700 ft of water. Mariner (operator) has 60% working interest in partnership with Apache (40%).

South America. Interoil Exploration & Production discovered oil in Block III, Peru in the Salinas Mogollon Sandstone. The well is producing 600 bopd and was drilled to a 3,689-ft TD.

GeoPark Holdings discovered two gasfields with its Nika Oeste-3 and Bump Hill-1 wells in the Magallanes region of southern Chile. The Nika Oeste-3 well tested 4.7 MMcfd, 70 bcpd and 14 bwpd from the Springhill Formation after drilling to a 9,918-ft TD. The Bump Hill-1 well tested 0.9 MMcfd, 5 bcpd and 4 bwpd, and was drilled to a 9,474-ft TD.

Petrobras made another major oil discovery in the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil with its Guara-1 (1-BRSA-594-SPS) well in Block BM-S-9, the same block where the Carioca Field discovery was announced in September 2007. The Guara well is located in 7,024 ft of water west of the Carioca discovery, and about 193 mi off the coast of Sao Paulo State. The well encountered light oil at 16,405 ft but continues to drill. Petrobras (operator) has 45% interest in partnership with BG (30%) and Repsol YPF Brasil (25%).

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