Kazakhstan
Transmeridian Exploration Inc., Houston, said its SA-1 well in South Alibek field in the North Caspian basin of western Kazakhstan has produced 170,000 bbl of oil since tests started in July 2003.
The company has spudded the fourth of its seven-well program and plans to spud the fifth well this month. It started tests at the SA-2 and SA-4 wells.
Transmeridian perforated 23 ft of additional pay at SA-1 in January and is considering even more perforations. The upper zones are not contributing to production because of formation pressure differences, and the well will require dual completion.
Nevertheless, the well's February 2004 production was 30,000 bbl of oil, 15% more than the average of the previous 5 months.
The field's first phase production facilities are to be completed as early as May.
Morocco
Three independents plan to explore the Moulay Bousselham and Mamora Permits in northwestern Morocco northeast of Rabat.
To explore the blocks are Heyco International, Roswell, NM, 39%; Stratic Energy Corp., Calgary, 36%; and US Enercorp. LLC, San Antonio, 25%. Morocco's state Onarep has 25% back-in rights in event of commercial success.
The companies will acquire a regional airborne gravity and magnetic survey, reprocess 2D seismic data, and acquire at least 250 line km of 2D seismic in the first 3 years. They committed to drill 4 exploration wells to shallow Tertiary objectives or 1 deep exploration well to test a Mesozoic subthrust play and plan to test both plays in the initial term.
The first well is to spud in late 2004 or early 2005.
The lightly explored blocks total 4,000 sq km. Depleted Ain Hamra field lies on the Moulay Bousselham Permit. Found in 1918, the field produced 38° gravity oil from Miocene sandstones at 400-450 ft sporadically until the late 1950s.
No material exploration has taken place since the 1950s, Stratic said.
The group has identified a number of shallow gas anomalies.
New Zealand
An early 2003 offshore gas discovery in the northern Taranaki graben has the potential to recover 60-150 bcf of gas, said Todd Petroleum Mining Co. Ltd., Wellington, NZ.
The Karewa-1 exploration well, on PEP 38602 some 30 miles west of Kawhia, is productive from Eocene Mangaa sands, the company said (see map, OGJ, Oct. 13, 2003, p. 42).
A petroleum prospecting license awarded to Todd in February just south of PEP 38602 has similar prospects. Todd plans to begin seismic surveys in April and expects further drilling in 2005-06.
UK
Northern Petroleum PLC, London, let a contract to Aberdeen Drilling Management Ltd. to manage the drilling of three wells on the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.
Northern is pursuing hydrocarbons on two licenses 10-20 km east of giant Wytch Farm oil field, where Triassic Sherwood sandstone is the main reservoir. Objective is the Jurassic Great Oolite reservoir on PEDL 98 and 113.
The company will appraise a 1982 British Gas subcommercial discovery on PEDL 113.
Sandhills-1 was logged but not tested and is judged to contain 9.7 million bbl of probable recoverable oil in Great Oolite, which produces elsewhere in the Weald basin.
The project is Northern's first UK onshore drilling. Pending issuance of permits, drilling should occur in the next 90 days.
Newfoundland
A group of independents led by Contact Exploration Inc., Calgary, spudded a wildcat projected to 1,200 m near Parsons Pond in western Newfoundland.
The Ordovician target structure has more than 25 sq km of interpreted closure. Time to TD is estimated at 45 days. The well is to be continuously cored.
Contact is operator with 50% working interest. Each partner, Vulcan Minerals Inc., Deer Lake Oil & Gas Inc., Crown Point Ventures Ltd., Gulf Shores Resources Ltd., and Overlord Financial Inc., has paid $150,000 toward the drilling cost to earn a 10% working interest.
Gulf of Mexico
Goodrich Petroleum Corp., Shreveport, La., said an exploratory well has extended Burrwood gas field from Louisiana waters off Plaquemines Parish onto federal South Pass Block 41.
The S.L. 17381 No. 1 well on the Dempsey prospect logged a combined 100 ft of net true vertical thickness pay in the Lower CP-2, 9,100 ft, 9,500 ft, and 10,100 ft sands. Goodrich, operator with 70% working interest, ran 7 in. production casing and was deepening the well 400 ft from its originally projected TD of 11,870 ft to evaluate additional prospective section. Production is to start in May 2004.
Florida
Plains Resources Inc., Houston, said its South Florida basin properties produced 2,283 b/d of oil in the fourth quarter of 2003, down 20% from the fourth quarter of 2002.
Oil sales from the properties averaged 2,565 b/d, up 4%. A company subsidiary operates Raccoon Point, Sunniland, Felda, and West Felda fields, which produce from Cretaceous Sunniland limestone at about 11,500 ft.
Plains Resources, which will become a private company after it is acquired by Vulcan Capital, Seattle, in the second quarter of 2004, operates the properties with 100% working interest (OGJ Online, Feb. 20, 2004).
Proved reserves on the properties were 16.3 million bbl as of Dec. 31, 2002.
