Five producing wells in Egypt’s Western Desert operated by Khalda Petroleum Co., a joint venture between Apache Corp. and Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. (EGPC), have produced 1 million bbl of oil since November.
The wells, part of Berenice and Ptah fields in the Faghur basin, are producing without the need for fracture stimulation at a combined rate of more than 13,600 b/d, and are slated to hit 17,500 b/d by midyear. The fields reside along the same fault trend in the Khalda Offset Concession (OGJ Online, Jan. 30, 2014).
Apache has invested $14 million to install production facilities and plans to invest another $35 million to handle production increases. All oil is being shipped via pipeline to nearby Khalda-operated processing facilities.
Three rigs are operating in the fields to drill development wells. Exploration and drilling efforts are targeting rock from both the Mesozoic and deeper Paleozoic eras.
Apache says these targets are a primary focus and have proven successful in this area with oil and gas discoveries made at the nearby Shu-1X, Apries-1X, Bat-1X and Geb-1X wells, although Ptah is the largest new field found in the play thus far.
"By applying new technologies and advanced 3D imaging by an integrated team, we have gained a better understanding of the Western Desert petroleum system,” explained Tom Maher, Apache Egypt country manager.
“This has allowed us to uncover new, deeper targets in areas where we have been operating for years,” he said. “These recent discoveries, coupled with several other exploration activities currently under way, highlight the significant opportunity we have for greater development of our 6.7 million gross acres."
Berenice, Ptah activity
Berenice field started producing light oil from the Cretaceous-aged Alam El Buieb formations in November. Three wells are producing more than 9,500 b/d from a 700-acre drainage area with pay zones that range 38-142 ft.
A drilling rig dedicated to the field is drilling Berenice-4 and once finished will continue on to the Berenice-5. The Berenice-4 contains a 142-ft oil pay zone in the target AEB-3D/-3E sandstones with excellent reservoir quality. Apache says.
Up to four additional wells are planned during the first phase of development. Drilling depth is 12,000 ft with completed-well costs expected to average $3 million for each of the development wells.
Ptah field started producing light oil from the Paleozoic-aged Shiffah formation in December. The field also has substantial target zones logged in the AEB-3D/-3E formations that have yet to be tested.
In the Shiffah, the Ptah-1X discovery well is producing 2,350 b/d while Ptah-3X started production in March at a rate of 2,000 b/d. Shiffah pay zones have averaged 130 ft while the AEB-3D/-3E formations, yet to be completed, have logged an average net oil pay section of 65 ft.
Further appraisal drilling and AEB-3D/-3E production testing will be conducted with the Ptah-4X and Ptah-6 to further define the field size and reserves. Drilling depth to the deeper Shiffah is 13,800 ft, while the AEB-3D/-3E targets average a depth of 11,000 ft.
Completed-well costs are expected to average $3.7 million for Shiffah wells and $2.5 million for the AEB-3D/-3E wells.