Exploration discoveries
BP made an important oil discovery in the Gulf of Suez, Northern Shedwan Block, Egypt.
Africa. BP made an important oil discovery in the Gulf of Suez, Northern Shedwan Block, Egypt. The well tested at sustainable rates of 10,000 bopd. BP, operater, has 50% interest, and Tri Ocean has the remaining 50%. BP made a significant gas discovery with its Satis-1 exploration well drilled in the North El Burg Block, offshore Egypt in the Nile Delta Basin. The well was drilled to 21,326 ft and found pay in Oligocene reservoirs in water depth of more than 200 ft. BP operates the block with partners Eni and Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. (EGPC). In Egypt, Apache made a gas and condensate discovery in the Western Desert Shushan C Concession. The Hydra-1X exploration well tested 41.6 MMcfd of gas and 1,313 bpd of condensate from the Jurassic Lower Safa Formation. Net pay of 178 ft was encountered in the Lower Safa, 45 ft of probable pay in the Jurassic Alam El Bueib Unit 6 sand, and 30 ft of probable oil pay in the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib Unit 3. BP made the fourth discovery to date in Block 31, offshore Angola. The well tested more than 5,000 bopd in 6,600 ft of water after reaching a 18,629-ft TD. The discovery is located about 6.5 mi southwest of the Plutao Field and 4 mi north of the Titania discovery. BP’s partners include Statoil, Marathon, Total and Sonangol. Verenex Energy’s A2-47/02 appraisal well, drilled on Libya’s Area 47, has confirmed the discovery of a large accumulation in the Lower Acacus Formation. The well is 3 mi west of the A1-47/02 discovery and was drilled to a 10,400-ft TD. Extended flow tests indicate an oil column of about 158 ft in the deepest sand and 106 ft in a second sand.
Europe. StatoilHydro made a gas discovery with its Gamma prospect in the Norwegian Sea Block 6407/6, Norway. The well was drilled to a 8,229-ft TD in water depth of 741 ft. Indicated pay was found in Middle Jurassic sandstones, and reserve estimates were 70 to 106 Bcfe of recoverable gas. A tieback to Asgard Field is being considered. Eni Norge’s 6507/2-4 appraisal well of the 1992 Nowegian Sea discovery in Block 6507/2, Norway indicates that the total size of the field is 423−671 Bcf of recoverable gas and 5−7 MMbbl of condensate, more than twice the reserves estimated from previous drilling. The appraisal proved gas and condensate 2.6 mi from the discovery well in Cretaceous reservoirs. This is the fourth exploration well in PL 122. It was drilled to a of 11,759-ft TD in water depth of 1,197 ft. BP made an oil discovery 180 mi west of the Shetland Islands, United Kingdom. The discovery well was drilled in Block 204/23, License P1263 to a 8,360-ft TD. No information about tests or indicated pay was disclosed by BP or its partner, Marathon Oil. Petro-Canada reported an oil discovery with its 13/21b-7 well in the North Sea, Block 13/21b, United Kingdom. The well was drilled to a 7,868-ft TD in 292-ft water depth in the Inner Moray Firth area. The well encountered about 262 ft of oil column. Petro-Canada, operator, has 50% interest in Block 13/21b. Samson North Sea holds 35%, First Oil Expro, 10%, and Reach Exploration (UK) has the remaining 5%.
Middle East. A partnership of three Indian oil companies, OVL, IOC and OIL, made a major gas discovery in the Persian Gulf, offshore Iran, that may contain 11 Tcf of recoverable reserves. The well confirms a discovery reported by ONGC in May 2007 on the Farsi Block, in about 295 ft of water. North America. Chevron’s Big Foot-3 Sidetrack 2 appraisal well confirmed the discovery announced in January 2006 in the US Gulf of Mexico. The appraisal well’s TD was 25,113 ft in Walker Ridge Block 29, northwest of the previously drilled wells in more than 5,000 ft of water. The location is 180 mi offshore near the Chevron-operated Jack and St Malo discoveries. Shell made an oil discovery in DeSoto Canyon Blocks 353 and 397 and Mississippi Canyon Block 393 in the US Gulf of Mexico. The well found 300 ft of pay in its Vicksburg Prospect well, drilled to a TD of 25,400 ft in 7,500 ft of water. Shell, Nexen Petroleum and Plains Exploration & Production Company are partners in the prospect. Brooks Range Petroleum found potential oil pay in its North Shore-1 exploration well in the Sag and Ivishak formations but was not able complete the well before the end of the 2007 winter drilling season. The well was drilled to 13,319 ft in Alaska’s North Slope Gwydyr Bay area just northwest of Prudhoe Bay. South America. Pacific Rubiales Energy discovered gas with its La Creciente D-1 well drilled in the Lower Magdalena Basin of Colombia. Drillstem tests indicate a stable production potential of 27.7 MMcfgd from 483 ft of Cienaga de Oro sandstone reservoirs. A gas column of over 272 ft was indicated in the well, which was drilled to 10,711 ft. Canadian Superior Energy discovered gas in a second zone in the Victory well on its Intrepid Block 5(c), offshore Trinidad. The initial discovery was announced in January 2008. The additional pay zone tested more than 30 MMcfgd. The company said the combined zones could produce gas at estimated rates of over 100 MMcfd.
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