Woodside Petroleum Ltd., Perth, plans to drill five wells offshore Myanmar in 2017, one more than originally scheduled, following encouraging results in 2016.
Interpretation of seismic data has indicated what the company calls “an additional low-cost exploration target with upside” on Block A-6.
This block already contains the Shwe Yee Htun-1 discovery where Woodside found 32 m of net gas pay in January 2016. Woodside is operator for local firm MPRL E&P Pte. Ltd. and France’s Total SA—a combine that Woodside entered into in December 2012.
The company has also participated in a successful well on Block AD-7 called Tha lim-1A—operated by South Korea’s Daewoo International—that encountering 62 m of net gas pay.
The Thalin-1B appraisal was drilled earlier this year as a reentry and side-track of Thalin-1A and recovered 99 m of core and wireline logs across the objective reservoir interval.
Initial multirate drillstem test results from the lower reservoir section in this well provided sustained flow rates of 50 MMcfd of gas during a 50-hr period through a 48/64-in. choke. The result indicates a good-quality reservoir.
Preparations are now being made to test the upper reservoir in Thalin-1B.
The rig will then be moved to drill the Thalin-2 appraisal well followed by two exploration wells—one on Block A-6 and another on Block AD-7.
Woodside has interests in six large offshore permits in Myanmar covering a total of 46,000 sq km.
Myanmar was opened up for exploration following the political reforms of 2011 and subsequent lifting of European Union and US sanctions, enabling international companies to reenter the region.
Drilling programs began in 2014. The country is estimated to contain 3.2 billion bbl of oil and 18 tcf of gas with potential for vastly greater amounts, thus attracting most of the world’s major players.
