The Cairn Energy Ltd.-led group in the SNE oil discovery offshore Senegal has begun the 2017 appraisal program at the field, which was originally discovered in 2014.
The first well this year, SNE-5, was spudded Jan. 21 by the Stena DrillMax drilling rig. This will be followed immediately by SNE-6.
The aim of the program is to evaluate the upper SNE reservoir units with particular attention to reservoir connectivity and deliverability. To accomplish this, the group will conduct oil flow tests, including interference testing.
The joint venture is striving to improve understanding of the characteristics of these upper reservoirs and ensure potential development wells are located to optimize oil recovery and maximise value per well.
SNE-5 will be the southernmost well on the field and lies 2 km southeast of SNE-3. SNE-6 is a little further north.
The 2017 program follows the successes in SNE-2, SNE-3, nearby BEL-1 and SNE-4 appraisals drilled during 2015-16.
At this point the contingent recoverable resources are estimated to be 641 million bbl of 32° gravity oil.
The JV believes that this figure surpasses the minimum economic field size and the group is now committed to pre-FEED development activity.
Block partners are Cairn 40%, ConocoPhillips 35%, FAR Ltd. 15%, and Petrosen 10%. In July 2016 Woodside Petroleum Ltd. negotiated to buy ConocoPhillips’s share of the JV. However this right has been disputed by fellow Australian company FAR, which claims it has preemptive rights to the sale. The matter has yet to be resolved.
