Exploration discoveries

	Vol. 229 No. 12
ARTHUR BERMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, bermanae@gmail.com

Africa. Apache Corp. made an oil and gas discovery with its WKAL-C-1X West Kalabsha well in the Western Desert of Egypt, about 50 mi east of the Libyan border. It flowed 4,746 bopd of oil and 4.4 MMcfd from the Jurassic Safa Formation, and was drilled to a 14,600-ft TD. Pay was also identified in the Jurassic Alem El Bueib 3C.

OMV tested 1,200 bopd of condensate and 58 MMcfd of gas in its Sourour-1 exploration well in the Jenein Sud Block in southern Tunisia. The well found 66 ft of pay from 12,139 to 12,959 ft in the well that was drilled to a 13,167-ft TD, about 435 mi south of Tunis. OMV (operator) has a 50% interest, with the Tunisian national oil company, ETAP, holding the remaining 50%.

Heritage Oil made an oil discovery with its Warthog-1 well drilled in Block 1, Uganda, at the northern end of Lake Albert. The well found 150 ft of net pay and was drilled to a 2,989-ft TD.

Circle Oil discovered gas with its exploration well ONZ6 in the Oulad N’Zala Block northeast of Rabat in the Rharb Basin, Morocco. The well tested 3.32 MMcfd in Upper Oulad reservoirs.

IPR Energy Red Sea made a discovery with its NR-2 well in the North Ramadan Concession in Egypt’s Gulf of Suez on a previously undrilled fault block. The well tested 800 bopd and 0.5 MMcfd from Asl clastic reservoirs and was drilled to a TD of 11,700 ft.

The Americas. McMoRan Exploration logged four potential pay zones in the Miocene Rob-L below 30,067 ft in its Blackbeard well in the US Gulf of Mexico, targeting a 35,000-ft TD. Bottomhole pressure is more than 25,000 psi in the well, which is located in South Timbalier Block 168 in 70 ft of water, 115 mi southwest of New Orleans. The company says the reserves could be 2−4 billion boe. McMoRan operates with 32.3% working interest along with Plains Exploration & Production Co. (35%) and Energy XXI USA Inc. (20%).

Probe Resources discovered gas with its East Cameron 246-2 well in the US Gulf of Mexico East Cameron Block 246. The well is expected to produce 10-15 MMcfd from 45 ft of pay in the Lentic. It was drilled to a 6,694-ft TD. Probe operates and has a 100% interest in the block.

Murphy Oil made a discovery in De Soto Canyon Block 48 at its Dalmatian prospect in the US Gulf of Mexico drilled in 5,900 ft of water. No other details were given. Murphy is the operator with 50% along with Newfield Exploration (37.5%) and Mariner Energy (12.5%).

ExxonMobil spudded its Ogum-1 well in the Santos Basin pre-salt play off Brazil. The well is located west of the Petrobras Tupi and Jupiter discoveries, and south of the Caramba, Bem-te-vi, and Carioca discoveries. ExxonMobil (operator) has a 40% interest in partnership with Hess (40%) and Petrobras (20%).

Petrohawk Energy discovered gas in the Eagle Ford Shale with its STS241-1H well in La Salle County, Texas, immediately south of Stuart City Field. The well is flowing 7.6 MMcfd and 250 bcpd from a 3,200-ft lateral that was fracture-stimulated in 10 stages. A confirmation well has been drilled and logged at a location 15 mi from the discovery. Petrohawk operates with 90% working interest.

Bill Barrett Corp. made a shale gas discovery with its Koskie horizontal well in the Paradox Basin of southwestern Colorado. The well produced at an average rate of 4.5 MMcfd during a 17-day test. The company’s Neely well is now testing 3.1 MMcfd at a location 14 mi to the north.

Partners in the Coronie and Uitkijk Blocks onshore Suriname will drill five exploration wells in each block in 2008, following three discoveries made earlier this year near Tambaredjo and Calcutta Fields. The companies have not yet announced whether the initial discoveries will be commercial. Staatsolie, Suriname’s national oil company, has a 60% interest, and Tullow has the remaining 40%.

Europe. StatoilHydro made a discovery with its Caurus prospect on PL 228 in the Barents Sea Block 7222/11, 100 mi northwest of Hammerfest. Pay was found in clastic Triassic reservoirs, with recoverable reserves estimated between 71 and 495 Bcf. The well was drilled to a TD of 9,269 ft in 1,197 ft of water. StatoilHydro has 100% interest in the block.

StatoilHydro’s 34/8-14S well discovered oil and gas in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, Block 34/8 (PL 120). The company found a 197-ft oil and gas column in Middle Jurassic reservoirs at a location south of Visund Field. The well was drilled to a 10,096-ft TD in 958 ft of water. StatoilHydro is the operator with 59.06% interest in partnership with Petoro (16.93%), ConocoPhillips (13.00%) and Total E&P Norge (11.00%).

StatoilHydro also discovered gas/condensate in its 6407/7-8A Noatun C sidetrack in the Norwegian Sea. The well has recoverable reserves of 30−50 MMboe from Jurassic reservoirs. It was drilled to a 16,568-ft TD in 961 ft of water in Block 6407/7 of PL107, located 10 mi north of Njord Field. StatoilHydro operates with 20% interest with partners E.ON Ruhrgas (30%), ExxonMobil (20%), Gaz de France (20%), Petoro (7.5%) and Endeavour Energy (2.5%).

Asia-Pacific. Nido Petroleum found a 390-ft oil column in its Tinaldo-1 well in Block SC54 offshore Philippines. The well was drilled to a 6,152-ft TD. Nido operates with 60% interest in partnership with Kairiki Energy, which has the remaining 40%.

Tethys Petroleum tested more than 10 MMcfd in its AKK16 well in the Akkulka Block onshore Kazakhstan. The well is 7.5 mi southeast of the company’s AKK15 discovery on the same block, and 22 mi from the Kyzyloi gas field.

Beach Petroleum discovered gas with its Brownlow-1 exploration well in Block PEL106 in the Cooper Basin, South Australia. About 23 ft of pay was found in the Patchawarra Formation from 8,474−8,497 ft in the well, which was drilled to a 9,137-ft TD. Beach is the operator with 50% interest in partnership with Drillsearch Energy.

Total made a new pool discovery with its Maharaja Lela-4 (ML-4) well on Block B of Maharaja Lela/Jamalulalam Field offshore Brunei. The gas and condensate discovery was drilled to a 17,150-ft TD in 203 ft of water about 30 mi from shore.

.