Exploration discoveries

	Vol. 229 No. 9
ARTHUR BERMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, bermanae@gmail.com

Americas. Canadian Superior Energy made a natural gas discovery with its Bounty well in Block 5(c), 60-mi offshore Trinidad. The well tested 60 MMcfd from 200 ft of pay with possible reserves of 2.6 Tcf. The well drilled to a 17,360-ft TD. Canadian Superior is operator with a 45% interest in the block and has partners BG (30%) and Challenger Energy (25%).

Petrobras has made another light oil (30°API) discovery in Block BM-S-11 in the Santos Basin of Brazil. The 1-BRSA-618-RJS (1-RJS-656) was drilled on the same block as the company’s Tupi discovery, but on a separate structure. The well is in 7,316 ft of water about 143 mi offshore Sao Paolo state. The pre-salt, lower Cretaceous reservoir was encountered at 18,374 ft. Petrobras (operator, 65% interest) has partners BG (25%) and Galp Energia (10%).

Europe. BG Norge confirmed its earlier Jordbaer discovery in Block 34/3, PL373S of the North Sea Norwegian sector, with its 34/3-1S well. The well is located northeast of Snorre Field in 1,345 ft of water. It was drilled to a 13,311-ft TD and found pay in Jurassic sands. BG (operator, 45% interest) has partners Idemitsu Petroleum Norway (25%), Revus Energy (20%) and RWE Dea Norge (10%).

Hess made an oil discovery in Block 7/89 of the Danish sector of the North Sea. Pay was found in Cretaceous chalk reservoirs 3 mi southeast of South Arne Field. The well was drilled to a 9,737-ft TD in 180 ft of water. Hess (operator, 57.48% interest) has partners Dong E&P (34.38%), Noreco (6.56%) and Danoil (1.58%).

KX Oil & Gas discovered gas in three Miocene reservoirs with its Hajdunanas-1 well in the Hernad area of northeastern Hungary. 3.8 MMcfd and 3.9 MMcfd were tested from two Pannonian sand reservoirs, and 5.9 MMcfd from a Miocene volcaniclastic section. The well was drilled to a 3,826-ft TD.

PGNiG’s Fences Project Kromolice-1 well tested water-free gas during a drillstem test in west-central Poland. The well had 164-213 ft of log pay. Porosities range from 11 to 22%, while permeabilities range 0.1-33 mD. The well is located 3 mi northwest of the company’s Sroda-4 gas discovery. PGNiG (operator) has a 51% interest; partner FX Energy has the remainder.

Eni discovered gas with its Cassiopea-1 well in the Sicilian Strait offshore Italy. The well tested 6.71 MMcfd; the company estimated reserves of 565 Bcf from the new field. The well was drilled in 1,837 ft of water 14 mi off the coast of Sicily. Eni (operator, 60%) has partner Edison (40%).

Asia and Pacific. Tethys Petroleum’s Akkulka-15(AKK-15) well tested a 20-ft Tasaran Sand interval at 7.1 MMcfd. The top of the pay interval was encountered at 1,791 ft. The shallow well is located on the northwest margin of the Aral Sea, Kazakhstan, near the Uzbekistan frontier. AKK-15 is 5.4 mi east of Tethys’ AKK-14 discovery, and confirms the regional prospectivity of the Tasaran Sand.

Lundin Petroleum’s Morskaya-1 well tested a combined 2,500 bopd from two flow tests in Neocomian and Albian reservoirs in the northern Caspian Sea, Lagansky Block, Russia. Lundin Petroleum (operator) has a 70% interest and Gazprom has 30% with an option to convert to a 51% interest.

Gujarat State Petroleum Corp. (GSPC) discovered gas in the offshore Krishna Godavari Basin Block KG-OSN-2001/3 (KG-22) of India. The well test ranged 23-27 MMcfd. GSPC (operator, 80% interest); partners GeoGlobal Resources and Jubilant Enpro share the remaining 20%.

CNOOC tested 1,500 bopd and 0.22 MMcfd in its Bozhong 29-5-1 well in the southeastern region of Bohai Bay, China, near the mouth of the Yellow River. The well found 86 ft of pay and was drilled to a 6,185-ft TD in 69 ft of water.

Hess Corporation found 151 ft of gas pay in Jurassic and Triassic sandstones with its Briseis-1 well on the Northwest Shelf of Australia. The well was drilled in 3,668 ft of water depth. Hess has 100% interest.

Africa. Sonatrach made four discoveries in the Illizi and Oued Mya Basins in southeastern Algeria. In the Illizi Basin, the Issaouane Nord Ouest-1 well tested 6.22 MMcfd of gas from Ordovician reservoirs in the Amenas Block 240b. Also in the Illizi Basin, the Tin Tadda Sud-1 well tested 6.33 MMcfd of gas from Silurian and Devonian reservoirs. In the Oued Mya Basin, the Nechou Nord-3 well tested 2,189 bopd and some gas. Also in the Oued Mya Basin, the Madjbeb-1 well tested 332 bopd and some gas from Triassic reservoirs.

StatoilHydro made a gas discovery in the Hassi Mouina Block in the Timimoun Basin of Algeria 500 mi south of Algiers. The well tested 7.76 MMcfd from Devonian-Carboniferous reservoirs at a depth of 4,281 ft. StatoilHydro (operator, 75% interest) is in partnership with Sonatrach (25%).

Tullow Oil made a discovery in the Lake Albert Rift Basin Block 2 of Uganda with its Kasamene-1 well. The well found over 100 ft of net oil and 20 ft of net gas pay. The well was drilled to a 3,140-ft TD and is 9 mi northwest of the Ngege-1 discovery drilled earlier this year. Tullow is the operator with 100% interest.

NOC (National Oil Corp. of Libya) made an oil discovery with its D1-NC129 wildcat well drilled in the Slouq Depression Basin, Block NC129 in Libya, 60 mi northeast of Benghazi City. The well tested 2,780 bopd and some gas. The well was drilled to an 8,500-ft TD.

Verenex Energy made an oil discovery in Block 4 of the Ghadames Basin Area 47 in Libya. The A1-47/04 well measured 6,603 bopd and 8.6 MMcfd from combined tests in the Lower Acacus and Memouniat Formations. Verenex (operator, 50% interest) is in partnership with Medco Energi Internasional (50%).

Maurel & Prom discovered oil with its OMKO-1 well onshore Gabon. The well tested 3,050 bopd from the base sandstone. The well was drilled to a 5,905-ft TD. Maurel & Prom has 100% interest, and the government of Gabon has the option to back in for a 15% interest.

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