Exploration/Development Briefs

PetroFrontier Corp., Calgary, said a drilling rig is under way from Brisbane 3,000 km to the southern Georgina basin in Australia's Northern Territory.

After the week-long move, the unit is to rig up and drill the Baldwin-2 wildcat on PetroFrontier's 100% held EP 103 to evaluate the Basal Arthur Creek hot shale and overlying Hagen member. PetroFrontier has identified 13 older unconventional wells in the Arthur Creek shale on its lands.

The rig will then move to the MacIntyre-2 wellsite in the northeastern corner of EP 127. MacIntyre-2 will be hydraulically fractured and completed immediately after being drilled, and then the rig and frac crew will return to frac and complete Baldwin-2.

Perenco, Paris, encountered a petroleum system and multiple viable reservoirs but subcommercial quantities of natural gas at the N'gata-1 exploratory well on the Kombe-N'sepe block in the Douala basin onshore Cameroon.

Kosmos Energy Co., which has a 35% interest in the block, said the results of drilling, wireline logs, and reservoir fluid samples show the well penetrated 144 ft of reservoir with 33 ft of net gas-bearing pay. An additional deeper thick sand interval with gas shows was encountered, but complete wireline logs could not be obtained over this target due to operational difficulties. The well has been plugged and abandoned.

Kosmos has now completed its initial drilling program commitment on the block. Future technical evaluation will focus on identifying the positive play elements in areas of the block where liquid content and trap effectiveness may improve. Perenco operates the block with 40% interest, and Cameroon's Soc. Nationale des Hydrocarbures has 25%.

ERHC Energy Inc., Houston, signed production sharing contract on the BDS 2008, Manga, and Chari-Ouest Block 3 exploratory blocks with the Chad government.

ERHC has 100% interest in BDS 2008 and Manga and a 50% interest in Chari-Ouest Block 3. BDS 2008 and Chari-Ouest Block 3 adjoin the Doba basin oil fields. Manga is north of Lake Chad along the border with Niger.

Ecopetrol SA disclosed the presence of oil at a fourth well on the 611,343-ha Cano Sur block in Colombia's Llanos basin.

The Fauno-1 exploratory well, on the eastern part of the block, went to 3,256 ft and averaged 132 b/d of 12.3° gravity oil on a progressive cavity pump from basal sands of the Carbonera formation.

In its program to drill more than 20 wells on the block in 2011, Ecopetrol previously disclosed the presence of oil in the Mito-1 exploratory well and the Mago-1 and Draco-1 stratigraphic wells. Ecopetrol operates the block with 100% interest.

Kosmos Energy Ltd., Dallas, has added an exploratory well to its 2011 campaign off Ghana.

The Transocean Marianas semisubmersible will drill Cedrela-1 west of the Makore prospect near the southern boundary of the West Cape Three Points block. The well will target multiple objectives that the company previously has encountered on the block.

Cedrela-1, 6 miles north of the Hess Corp. Paradise-1 discovery well, is to spud in the third quarter of 2011.

The Atwood Hunter semisubmersible is drilling Makore-1 in the southern portion of the block. Makore-1 targets Upper Cretaceous Turonian-age reservoirs similar to those encountered in Kosmos's Jubilee oil field. The Atwood Hunter will remain on the block to drill the Akasa-1 well, formerly known as the Dahoma updip prospect.

The drilling of Cedrela-1 will bring Kosmos's 2011 capital budget for Ghana to $430 million, $260 million of which will be spent on exploration and appraisal drilling.

Kosmos is the operator of West Cape Three Points with a 30.875% interest.

The Doris AKD05 appraisal well in Kazakhstan has stabilized at 520 b/d of light oil from the Upper Jurassic carbonate zone without acidizing, an encouraging commercial rate, said Tethys Petroleum Ltd.

Acidizing is planned within 2 weeks, after which the well will be put on extended production test. Potential Lower Cretaceous oil-bearing sandstones will not be tested in the near future as it is intended to carry out extensive evaluation of the Upper Jurassic carbonate.

Noncommercial oil is being obtained from the AKD04 (Dero) well, and testing of other sand intervals is planned.

The next location has been chosen from 3D seismic, and the AKD06 well is expected to spud within 14 days.

Intermediate casing is being set at 3,064 m at the Kalypso KBD01 exploratory well, projected to 4,000-4,500 m.

Kosmos Energy Ltd., Dallas, will explore the 1.6 million acre Foum Assaka block in the Atlantic off Morocco.

The block in the Agadir basin is 27 miles west of the port city of Agadir and contains play elements similar to those seen in Kosmos's other West African acreage, the company said.

Kosmos will be block operator with 37.5% participating interest. Pathfinder Hydrocarbon Ventures Ltd. will also have 37.5%. Morocco's ONHYM will have 25% carried interest.

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