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Vol. 231 No. 4 |
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| NELL L. BENTON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR |
Africa-Middle East. In waters 4,800-ft deep offshore Mozambique, Anadarko encountered an additional 76 net ft of natural gas pay at about 17,000-ft TD in the Windjammer discovery well. The additional pay intersected in the deeper objective brings the total net ft of natural gas pay in Windjammer to more than 555 ft.
Oil Search penetrated a gas-bearing section in its Al Meashar-1 exploration well being drilled onshore Yemen in the Al Meashar prospect on Block 7. High levels of gas were encountered at a depth of 11,725 ft. Oil Search plans to drill to about 11,976-ft TD and then commence a logging and testing program.
IPR Mediterranean Exploration, operator of Block XXIV in Syria and partner with ONGC Videsh Ltd., has made three back-to-back oil and gas discoveries onshore Syria. First production from the fields is expected during the second quarter. IPR is the operator of Syria’s Block XXIV with 40% interest in partnership with OVL (60%).
Gulf Keystone announced that Kalegran Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Plc and the operator of the Akri Bijeel block in Kurdistan, concluded a successful oil test in the Bijeel-1 exploration well in the Akri Bijeel block. The tested zone flowed at rates of up to 3,200 bopd with associated gas rates of 933,000 cfd. Oil gravity was 18˚ API and flowing wellhead pressure was 420 psi on a 3⁄4-in. choke.
Americas. Shell announced a significant new oil discovery in the eastern area of the Gulf of Mexico. The discovery is located at the Appomattox prospect in 7,217 ft of water in Mississippi Canyon blocks 391 and 392. The discovery well was drilled to a depth of 25,077 ft and encountered 530 ft of oil pay. Shell then drilled an appraisal sidetrack to 25,950 ft and encountered approximately 380 ft of oil pay. Shell operates and holds an 80% working interest in the prospect with partner Nexen who holds the remaining 20%.
Mexico’s state oil company Pemex has made two major oil discoveries in the Sound of Campeche, Gulf of Mexico. Each of the two discoveries has possible reserves of 1 billion boe, with one containing light crude and the other extra-heavy crude.
Pacific Rubiales Energy has made a new oil discovery with its Quifa-24X exploratory well drilled on the Quifa Block in the Llanos Basin, Colombia. The well was drilled on Prospect “Q” at the northeastern border of the Quifa Block, and found the top of the Carbonera basal sands at 3,206-ft MD. The petrophysical evaluation of the well indicates a net pay zone of 22 ft with 32% average porosity.
Ivanhoe Energy has received initial results from its IP-15 exploration well in the Amazon Basin Block 20 in the Pungarayacu field, Ecuador. Results indicate a thick, clean, high-quality oil formation in the main target Hollin heavy oil reservoir. The IP-15 well reached 1,343-ft TD and is located in the northwest corner of the field.
Petrobras discovered oil in the pre-salt Block BM-S-9 in the Santos Basin offshore Brazil with well BRSA-788-SPS. The well, drilled in waters 6,950-ft deep, is in the same quadrant as the Carioca and Guara discoveries. Petrobras is the operator of BM-S-9 and the discovery well with 45% interest in partnership with BG (30%) and Repsol-YPF (25%).
Blackhawk Resource has commenced drilling the first of two back-to-back wells on its Bodo property in the Provost area of Alberta, Canada. The BLR Bodo-1 well is a 2,460-ft vertical well targeting bypassed oil pay in the Colony Formation. Blackhawk has identified six follow-up drill sites that are contingent upon the successful completion of the BLR Bodo-1 well.
Europe. Jupiter Energy’s J-50 well in Block 31, Mangistau, Kazakhstan, is currently drilling ahead at 8,970 ft, above the primary objective Middle Triassic reservoir, commencing at 9,580 ft. The block covers 50 sq mi of the Magistau basin in southwestern Kazakhstan and is on trend with three existing producing oil fields that have potential reserves in excess of 21-56 million bbl of oil. Jupiter Energy is the sole operator of Kazakhstan’s Block 31 and the J-50 well.
Statoil has identified four projects, located in the Norweigan sector of the North Sea, to be given fast-track status. Nine out of ten development candidates are likely to be developed with one seabed template and several wells. The four projects, Katla, Vigdis Nordøst, Gygrid and Pan/Pandora, contain recoverable reserves that have been estimated at more than 140 million boe.
Royal Dutch Shell is planning to take part in the exploration of the Yamal Peninsula Yuzhno-Tambeyskoye gas field in Russia, which is licensed to Novatek. The field is on the northeast coast of the Yamal Peninsula, some 125 mi from the Bovanenkovo Field, which is being developed by Gazprom. According to Russian classification (C1+C2), the field holds gas reserves estimated at 44.36 Tcf, with production projected to be as much as 706.3-882.9 Bcf a year.
BG Norge made an oil discovery in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea about 16 mi northeast of the Snorre field. The primary exploration target for the well was to prove petroleum in Lower Jurassic reservoir rocks in the Cook formation and the secondary target was in the Statfjord formation. Oil was proven in the Cook formation, while the Statfjord formation was found dry. Operator BG is in the process of completing the drilling of the well, 34/5-1S.
Australia-New Zealand. Kea Petroleum is gearing up to commence drilling its Wingrove-2 exploration well onshore New Zealand in the Taranaki Basin in Block PEP51153. Wingrove-2 will be a deviated well, designed to test the updip potential of the good oil shows seen in the basal Mount Messenger Sands. Kea is the operator of Blocks PEP51155 and PEP51153 with 40% interest in partnership with Hardie Energy (30%) and Rawson Taranaki (30%).
Exoma Energy has completed an extensive review of its five Galilee Basin permits in central Queensland, Australia, which cover some 10,040 sq mi of coal seam gas and shale gas acreage. Tests have confirmed that these coal seam gas areas alone could hold in excess of 20 Tcf of gas resource. A further 10 drill sites have been selected in Blocks ATP991, ATP996, ATP999 and ATP1005. 
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