Inpex Corp. to drill wildcat offshore Japan

TOKYO -- Inpex Corp. has been commissioned by the Agency of Natural Resources and Energy of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to drill one exploratory well for the agency’s Heisei 26~28 Domestic Offshore Drilling Program. The objective of the drilling project is to determine the presence of hydrocarbon deposits and conduct geological studies.

The exploratory well will be drilled in a location offshore Yamaguchi and Shimane prefectures, where, in 2011, the Japanese government conducted a geophysical survey from the seismic survey vessel Shigen as part of its Domestic Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Project, and where Inpex conducted a 3D geophysical survey in 2013 based on the earlier survey.

Inpex plans to drill the exploratory well beginning in May 2016 until August of the same year at a location approximately 140 km north of Yamaguchi Prefecture and approximately 130 km northwest of Shimane Prefecture, where the water is 210 m deep.

In preparation for this, the company will undertake a site survey in August 2015 to map the subsea surface and observe currents at the location. 

INPEX’s undertaking of the project will be in line with the company’s initiatives to continuously enhance its E&P activities, one of the growth targets in the medium- to long-term vision laid out in May 2012. If the project leads to the production of oil and natural gas at a commercially viable level, it will be expected to contribute to the improvement in Japan’s energy self-sufficiency.