Toreador due production in France, Turkey

Jan. 27, 2006
Toreador Resources Corp., Dallas, reported progress on exploration and production programs in France's Paris basin and offshore Turkey.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Jan. 27 -- Toreador Resources Corp., Dallas, reported progress on exploration and production programs in France's Paris basin and offshore Turkey.

In France, its 100% owned, multizone Charmottes-111H horizontal well on test produced 800 b/d of 36º gravity oil through a 1/2-in. choke for 6 days with no associated water. The well was drilled through fractured Jurassic Dogger limestone.

The well is to be connected to a nearby pipeline in 2 months. Until then, because of local requirements, the well will produce only during daylight hours, with production sold to a refinery 10 km away.

Elsewhere in France, the La Tonnelle-1 well on the Nemours permit southeast of Paris has been producing 50 b/d of oil during tests (see map, OGJ, Apr. 26, 2004, p. 47). Toreador holds 50% interest in the well, which is operated by Stockholm-based Lundin Petroleum AB. La Tonnelle-1 was drilled to 2,390 m and encountered 4.6 m of net oil pay in the Triassic Chaunoy formation (OGJ Online, Nov. 9, 2005). Lundin will continue to test the well throughout January, Toreador said.

Turkey
Toreador awarded a turnkey contract to Momentum Engineering LLC, Dubai, for construction and installation of two to four tripod production platforms in the South Akcakoca subbasin (SASB) project in the Black Sea off Turkey.

Petromar's Saturn and Prometheus jack ups, which will install the platforms, have completed the redrilling of damaged gas wells Ayazli 2 and 3 for Toreador (OGJ Online, Oct. 20, 2005). The two rigs are expected to begin drilling this week on the Dogu Ayazli well, east of Ayazli, and on Akkaya.

Phase I of SASB calls for at least eight wells to be completed. Production is expected in the second half of this year. Phase II will begin early in the second quarter with Atwood Oceanics' Southern Cross semisubmersible drilling two wells in deeper waters.

Toreador said it expects to award a construction contract for the subsea pipelines later in the quarter when it also will begin construction of onshore production facilities.