Argentina
Petrolifera Petroleum Ltd., private Calgary independent, logged an apparent discovery at the RN.PM.x-1002 drillsite on the Puesto Morales/Rinconada concession in the Neuquen basin.
The well cut a 20-m net zone in the primary objective Upper Jurassic Sierras Blancas sand with porosity averaging 23%. Management believes this signifies an excellent prospective oil reservoir.
It also found a new 6.5-m interval indicated to be gas bearing in the Lower Cretaceous Quintuco Zone 2 with porosity averaging 10% and as high as 14%. Quintuco Zone 9, which produces gas in an offset well, had an indicated 3 m of reservoir with average 13% porosity, better than porosity at the offset.
Petrolifera planned to complete the well and was moving the rig to the next location northwest to drill the second of an initial 5-well program by yearend 2005.
France
Lundin Petroleum AB, Stockholm, said the La Tonnelle-1 exploration well in the Nemours Permit in the Paris basin was drilled to TD 2,390 m and encountered 4.6 m of net oil pay in the Triassic Chaunoy formation.
The well has been suspended and will be tested later this year.
“If the testing program confirms a discovery it can easily be brought on production through existing nearby infrastructure,” Lundin said.
Lundin is operator of the well with a 33.3% working interest. Other participants are Vermilion Rep SA and Madison Energy France SCS, each with 33.3% interest.
Namibia
Field work is to start soon on a large block in northeastern Namibia that borders southern Angola and northwestern Botswana, said Circle Oil PLC, Limerick, Ireland.
State-owned China Shine HF, Beijing, will pay Circle Oil’s costs to earn a 72% interest in the 146,000-sq-km reconnaissance license in the Ovambo (Etosha) basin. Circle will retain 18% and Namibia’s NAMCOR will have 10%.
A 2004 airborne gravity and magnetic survey defined six deep basins, of which four were chosen for further work. The survey covered 75,618 sq km of the eastern part of the block. Two prospects defined by previous seismic programs are ready for drilling west of the area surveyed. The basin’s detailed stratigraphy is poorly understood due to the extensive blanket of post-Cenozoic Kalahari sediments, Circle Oil said (see maps, OGJ, Apr. 5, 1982, p. 262).
Wyoming
Anadarko Petroleum Corp., Houston, may drill 80-100 coalbed methane development wells in 2006 on properties acquired from ConocoPhillips in early 2005 in the Big George coal fairway.
Ten existing wells are dewatering at the Double Tank property in southwestern Campbell County. Anadarko drilled 11 more wells in the quarter ended Sept. 30 and plans 13 more by the end of 2005.
Permitting on other acquired leases in the fairway is under way. Big George coals are expected to be much more productive than the Wyodak coals developed earlier on the east side of the Powder River basin.
