Area Drilling

Colombia

A group led by Mohave Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, spudded the Caporal 1 wildcat on the 233,000 acre Tapir Association Contract in the eastern Llanos basin on Mar. 13, reports Solana Petroleum Corp., Calgary, a participant.

The wildcat, projected to 7,800 ft, targets a large stratigraphic trap at 7,700 ft in Cretaceous Ubaque sandstone. It is 15 miles southeast of the Mateguafa 1 discovery on the block.

Mateguafa produced at rates of at least 777 b/d of 32° gravity oil from Oligocene Carbonera C-7 sandstone at 8,189-8,207 ft on a jet pump and was shut-in for pressure build-up.

Indonesia

Two Canadian companies are preparing to start up operations in the Tarakan basin, Northeast Kalimantan.

Equatorial Energy Inc., Calgary, and Pertamina plan to start $13.5 million of work in May in Sembakung oil field. The work consists of lease road rehabilitation, reworking several of the 17 producing wells, and starting in October 1999 drilling as many as six new wells. The field, discovered in 1976, produces a stabilized 2,900 b/d from about 8,000 ft.

Continental Energy Corp., Vancouver, B.C., plans to drill near abandoned Galiadap field on the mostly onshore, 1.2 million acre Bengara-II block south of Sembakung.

Galiadap, in the Bulungan River delta, produced shallow oil for several years after 1915. More than 2,800 line km of 2D reconnaissance seismic mapping showed 15 drillable oil and gas prospects from less than 3,000 ft to more than 15,000 ft, Continental said.

Mozambique

DeGolyer and MacNaughton is conducting a reserve evaluation based on data from five successful wells that Arco-Sasol-Zarara Oil & Gas Ltd. drilled in 1998 in Temane gas field.

A development decision could come in 1999, said Zarara, formerly Leopardus Resources Ltd.

Meanwhile, the partners are interpreting 1,658 km of new seismic on the offshore Sofala permit and 785 km on the M-10 permit.

Portugal

A group led by Mohave Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, plans to thoroughly evaluate several zones after a Lusitanian basin wildcat reaches total depth (see map, OGJ, Dec. 8, 1997, p. 67).

Aljubarrota 2 drillstem tested gas at 2,415-2,513 m in a younger zone above the Triassic Silves sandstone objective expected at 3,650 m.

Flow rate could not be measured, but Mohave considers it significant. Electric and mud logs show that the well cut numerous similar zones, said Doreal Energy Corp., Calgary, a participant.

Gulf of Mexico

A unit of KeySpan Energy Corp., Brooklyn, N.Y., agreed to buy 45% of Houston Exploration Corp.'s working interest in Houston's 55 undeveloped leases.

KeySpan will provide up to $100 million/year for 3 years for the leases, exploratory and development drilling, and platform and facility construction. KeySpan, formerly Brooklyn Union, holds 64% equity ownership in Houston Exploration, which will serve as operator.

California

Black Sea Energy Ltd., Calgary, completed initial testing of its Almond Crest 54-20 wildcat in the southern San Joaquin Valley, California.

The well, drilled to TD 3,750 ft, cut 80 ft of heavy oil pay in a sandstone reservoir at 1,200 ft that represents a new pool discovery. The Kern County well also produced 35° gravity oil and associated gas on a short-term test from Pliocene Lower Etchegoin at 2,000 ft. Reservoir engineering is under way.

Kentucky

Four oil companies and the U.S. Department of Energy have funded a comprehensive geologic study of Knox and pre-Knox formations in the Rome trough of eastern Kentucky.

Data developed will remain confidential to the funding entities for 2 years after project completion, or until December 2002. Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington, began preliminary work on the study in early 1999.

Exploration for deep gas led to discovery of an assumed commercial deposit in 1994 in Elliott County, and activity since then has focused on Elliott, Morgan, and Lawrence counties.