Exploration discoveries

	Vol. 229 No.1
ARTHUR BERMAN, CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, bermanae@gmail.com

Africa. State firm Sonatrach discovered gas in the Ahnet Basin of southwestern Algeria. The Araret-2 (OTS-2) well tested 8.3 MMcfd at less than 4,000 ft drilling depth. In nearby Gourara basin, the company found more gas with its Tinerkouk-1 (TNK-1) well, which produced 5.9 MMcfd from 66 ft of Carboniferous reservoir.

Verenex Energy made two discoveries in the Ghadames Basin in Libya. Well D1-47/02 tested 7,742 bopd and 13.7 MMcfd from the Middle and Lower Acacus Formation between 8,080 and 9,372 ft. The well was drilled to a 9,720-ft TD. Earlier in December, Well F-1-47/02 tested 7,215 bopd after drilling to a 10,300-ft TD.

 

Total made a discovery on Block 32 with its deepwater Alho-1 well off Angola. The well tested 5,400 bopd from Oligocene reservoirs in 5,272 ft of water. This is the 14th discovery on prolific Block 32.

Dana gas made a discovery in the West Manzala concession with its Dabayaa-2 delineation well in Egypt’s Nile Delta. The well was drilled to a 9,843-ft TD. The well was tested and found to flow at a gas rate of over 10 MMcfd, and 240 bpd of condensate.

S.E. Asia. China National Offshore Oil Corp. made three discoveries in the South China Sea, China. In the Pearl River Mouth Basin, the Panyu 10-2 well found 187 ft of pay, while the Panyu 11-5 well encountered 43 ft in Block 15/34. The Weizhou 11-2 well drilled 210 ft of oil pay in the Beibu Gulf. Flowrates were not available.

Sumatera Persada Energi’s Pendalian-3 well tested 916 bopd and 1,285 bopd from two zones in the Sihapas Sandstone, West Kampar Block in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Pan Orient Energy discovered oil the Phetchabun Province in northern Thailand. The exploration well in Block L44/43 tested 5,000 bopd.

India launched round seven of its New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP), offering 57 oil and gas blocks, of which 9 are in shallow water, 19 in deep water and 29 on land. Expected revenue is $3.5 to $4 billion. The bids for NELP-VII close on April 11, 2008.

Europe. Aurelian Oil & Gas tested 7.6 MMcfd in its Trzek-1 exploration well in Central Poland from a 292-ft gas column in the Rotliegendes Formation. The well was perforated and fracture-stimulated between 11,981-11,998 ft.

Det norske Oljeselskap made a discovery drilling the Storskrymten prospect in the Norwegian North Sea. Well 15/12-18S encountered a 75-ft oil column in sandstone with good reservoir properties belonging to the Ty Formation. A sidetrack (15/12-18A) was drilled to appraise the discovery, and found sand at a deeper level in the Ty Formation and oil in overlying sandstones in the Heimdal Formation. It was completed in Late-Cretaceous sediments at a depth of 9,960 ft. Current estimates suggest in-place oil in Storskyrmten of 107 MMbbl, of which 9-44 MMbbl may be recoverable.

BP discovered more gas and condensate in its Shah Deniz Field in Azerbaijan with the SDX04 appraisal/exploration well. The well was drilled to a depth of 23,950-ft, a new depth record for a Caspian Sea well. Gas flowed at 35 MMcfd on test, the maximum capacity of the onboard equipment.

North America. Anadarko Petroleum found oil at its West Tonga prospect on Green Canyon Block 726 in the deep water Gulf of Mexico. The well encountered 350 ft of pay from Miocene sands on the subsalt feature. The well is located in 4,700 ft of water and drilled to a TD of 25,680 ft.

Index Oil & Gas discovered gas in its Ducroz-1 well in Brazoria County, Texas. The well tested 4 MMcfgd from two Miocene sands. The well drilled to a 6,450-ft TD.

Majestic Oil & Gas completed its Jody Field discovery wildcat in Pondera County Montana. The well drilled to a 3,545-ft TD and found 32 ft of pay in three intervals of the Madison/Sun River Dolomite.

South America. Repsol-YPF made a significant gas discovery in Bolivia with its Huacaya X-1 exploration well. Company spokesmen said the well is expected to produce at rates of 28.3 MMcfd. The well was drilled to a 15,748-ft TD. Repsol YPF (operator) and British Gas each have a 37.5% stake, and Panamerican Energy has 25%.

 

Petrobras made a new gas discovery in the Espirito Santo Basin, Block BM-ES-5, offshore southeastern Brazil. The 4-ESS-177 and 6-ESS-168 wells encountered over 300 ft of pay in water depths of 2,325 ft. The well was drilled to an 11,210-ft TD.

Petrolifera’s PMN1038 well tested 1,500 bopd from the Sierras Blancas Formation in the Neuquen Basin of northern onshore Argentina. The well was drilled between the northern and central portions of the Puesto Morales Norte Field, and indicates that the field is continuous.

Arthur Berman is a geological consultant specializing in petroleum geology, seismic interpretation and database design and management. He has over 20 years working for major oil companies and was editor of the Houston Geological Society’s Bulletin. He earned an MS in geology from the Colorado School of Mines.