TE-6 exploration well spudded in northeastern Morocco

April 22, 2016
After nearly a decade, Moroccan national oil firm Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) commenced drilling on its Tenerara Lakbir permit targeting Triassic sandstones at a total depth of 2,640 m. The Tendrara permit lies in the Oriental region’s Figuig province in northeast Morocco, 120 km from Gazoduc Maghreb Europe (GME) pipeline that connects Algeria and Morocco to the Spanish-Portuguese gas grids.

After nearly a decade, Moroccan national oil firm Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) commenced drilling on its Tenerara Lakbir permit targeting Triassic sandstones at a total depth of 2,640 m. The Tendrara permit lies in the Oriental region’s Figuig province in northeast Morocco, 120 km from Gazoduc Maghreb Europe (GME) pipeline that connects Algeria and Morocco to the Spanish-Portuguese gas grids.

The TE-6 well is in the High Plateau basin, near the town of Maatarka. The permit area is subdivided into eight blocks and covers 14,500 sq km. Seven wells have been drilled in the permit, five have been gas bearing and two have tested successfully. The SBK-1, drilled in 2000, had a peak rate of 5.5 MMcfd (OGJ Online, Aug. 30, 2000). The most recent well, TE-5, was drilled in 2007 and had flow rates of 1.5 MMcfd (OGJ Online, Mar. 30, 2007).

ONHYM’s partners include Oil & Gas Investment Funds (OGIF) and Sound Energy Morocco (SEM). OGIF was granted the Tendrara Lakbir permit in April 2013, and has followed up with seismic interpretation and petroleum evaluation. In June 2015 SEM acquired a 37.5% on Phase I of the license through a farmin agreement.

SEM will assume operatorship of the license and take a 55% working interest in Phase II of the project, which will include two additional exploration wells. OGIF will retain 20% and ONYHM, 25%.

In addition, SEM entered into a field management agreement with Schlumberger Ltd. in December 2015, in which the service contractor agreed to fund a portion of the first three Tendrara wells and provide technical services, equipment, and personnel to SEM in exchange for a share of future production.

Contact Tayvis Dunnahoe at [email protected].