Alan Petzet
OGJ Chief Editor-Exploration
HOUSTON, Feb. 26 -- Vanco Ghana Ltd. and Lukoil Overseas Ghana Ltd. reported an oil and gas-condensate discovery at the Dzata-1 exploratory well off eastern Ghana.
The discovery in a Cenomanian-Albian faulted anticlinal trap opens a new prospective trend in the eastern part of the Tano basin, the companies said.
Dzata-1 went to a total depth of 4,433 m in 1,878 m of water 45 miles south of Cape Three Points on the Cape Three Points deepwater block. The discovery is discerned from the results of drilling, wireline logs, and reservoir fluid samples.
The well encountered 94 m of gross hydrocarbon column topped at 3,653 m with 25 m of net stacked oil and gas pay. The primary reservoir sandstone at 3,663-90 m contains gas and light oil. Volatile black oil was recovered from a zone at 3,701-09 m. The well is plugged and temporarily abandoned pending further evaluation.
Dzata continues the series of recent exploration successes that includes discoveries at Jubilee, Tweneboa, Odum, and Sankofa off western Ghana. It is the deepest-water exploration well drilled in the Ghanaian Tano basin.
Vanco and Lukoil, after shooting 1,500 sq km of 3D seismic used to define the Dzata prospect in 2005, are shooting a new 1,664 sq km 3D program to identify prospective features in the northern and western parts of the block.
The Dzata-1 well was drilled with the Sedco 702—a dynamically positioned fifth-generation deepwater semisubmersible. This is the first exploration well to be drilled in the Cape Three Points Deep Water Petroleum Agreement Area, covering 5,164 sq km (1.27 million acres) in water depths ranging from 200 m to 3,000 m.
Vanco is block operator with 28.34% participating interest. Lukoil has 56.66% interest, and Ghana National Petroleum Corp. has a 15% carried interest and the option to acquire up to a further 5% in any commercial discovery.
Contact Alan Petzet at [email protected].
US Department of the Interior.
File photo from PDVSA..
