Argentina
A group led by Pluspetrol SA has hiked production to about 2,300 b/d of oil in the fourth quarter of 2005 on the Palmar Largo block in the Noroeste basin near the border with Paraguay.
Latest well to go on production is Ramon Lista-1001, TD 4,301 m in January 2006. Production, initially 428 b/d, 10% water, from 15 m in Cretaceous Yacoraite at 4,132-47, stabilized at 340 b/d with low water cut. This zone is on production.
The well also cut Yacoraite pay at 4,186-93 m and 4,149-69 m, said Gran Tierra Energy Inc., Calgary.
Interests in the 301,700-acre Palmar Largo block are Pluspetrol 38.15%, Repsol YPF 30%, Cia. General de Combustibles SA 17.85%, and Gran Tierra 14%.
Palmar Largo has 35 wells producing. Cumulative production since 1984 is 39 million bbl of oil. Gran Tierra’s proved reserves on the block are 625,000 bbl before royalties, subject to independent verification.
Austria
Rohöl-Aufsuchungs AG (RAG), Vienna, let a contract to Deutsche Montan Technologie GMBH, Essen, Germany, to acquire a Vibroseis 3D seismic data in the Alps foothills.
The 520 sq km to be surveyed is north of Salzburg, 90% in Austria and 10% in Germany. DMT put acquisition time at 8 months.
Equatorial Guinea
CNOOC Ltd. signed a 5-year production sharing contract on 2,287 sq km Block S with the Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy and state GEPetrol.
The block is in the Atlantic in 30-1,500 m of water off southern Rio Muni. Work commitment includes seismic data interpretation and drilling exploration wells.
France
The government awarded EnCana Corp., Calgary, 100% interest in an 860,000-acre exploration permit in southwestern France.
EnCana plans a multiwell exploration program on the Foix Permit, near Spain and Andorra, to identify the potential for natural gas resource play development.
Gabon
Maurel & Prom, Paris, said its Onal-3 exploration well on the 4,178 sq km Omoueyi license east-southeast of Port Gentil intersected an oil-impregnated formation with a true vertical thickness of 112 m.
The reservoir corresponds to the Cretaceous Vandji sandstones in Congo (Brazzaville), the company said. Maurel & Prom operates Omoueyi with 100% interest.
A two-week production test is planned, with and without pumping, and a 3-km offset is to spud as soon as a rig is available.
Mississippi
The US unit of Daytona Energy Corp., Calgary, let a contract to Shamrock Drilling Inc., Natchez, Miss., to drill a well to Cretaceous Selma chalk in Jasper County.
The Melvin-1 well, on a 720-acre lease, is to offset two old wells. One produced gas from Selma chalk for a brief time in 1959, and the other tested at 1.25 MMcfd and 24 b/d of condensate from Selma in 1962 and was never produced.
Daytona Energy USA LLC is operator with 80% working interest and expects to reduce its interest to 50% before spud.
Selma chalk produces in Sharon, East and West Heidelberg, Gwinville, and other fields.
Denbury Resources Inc., Plano, Tex., has 11 wells averaging a combined 2.5 MMcfd in Sharon field, where Selma is being drilled on 20-acre spacing, Daytona said. Selma at 3,700 ft produces 15 MMcfd from 100 wells at Heidelberg.