Egypt
A group led by Tanganyika Oil Co. Ltd. hopes to place two wells on production soon on the West Gharib Block onshore west of the Gulf of Suez.
The Hana-2 appraisal well flowed 1,200 b/d of 25.5° gravity oil from Middle Miocene Kareem sand perforated at 4,809-4,922 ft. Rate of 2,180 bo/d on a downhole pump was restricted by pump capacity.
The partners plan more drilling and a 3D seismic program over several prospects on the block.
New Zealand
Canadian companies plan to spud an onshore East Coast basin wildcat in late 1999.
A group led by Indo-Pacific Energy Ltd. plans to drill Whakatu-1 to 6,500 ft on 885,000 acre PEP 38328 in November-December. The site, between Hastings and Napier, is about 65 miles southwest of the basin's first gas discoveries north of Wairoa (see map, OGJ, May 18, 1998, p. 78).
Partner Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd. said drilling will pierce a dip-closed elongated anticlinal fold. Targets are Pliocene coquina limestones with high porosity and permeability and good reservoir quality Upper Miocene bathyal sandstones.
A similar structure 10 miles farther north on the permit bounds the other flank of the adjacent syncline and forms an obvious follow-on target, Trans-Orient said.
Indo-Pacific and Trans-Orient plan to spud Clematis-1 next month in the Taranaki basin on PEP 38720 about 20 miles southeast of New Plymouth.
Projected to 5,500 ft, it is an oil test of Upper Miocene Mount Messenger on the Waitoriki structure, which extends to a depth of 15,000 ft.
A group led by Swift Energy Co., Houston, plans production tests at the rank wildcat Rimu-A1 on PEP 38719 in the southern Taranaki basin.
The well, near Hawera on the south shore, is at TD 16,493 ft, having encountered hydrocarbon shows at 11,795 ft and 13,484 ft in Tariki limestone of Oligocene age and at 13,809 ft in Rimu limestone.
Portugal
A group led by Mohave Oil & Gas Co., Houston, plans to spud an appraisal well near its Aljubarrota-2 gas discovery in the Lusitanian basin in early 2000.
The group has taken additional licenses adjacent to its original position in the area and now holds about 1.5 million acres 100-200 km north of Lisbon (OGJ, Dec. 8, 1997, p. 67).
Partner Doreal Energy Corp., Calgary, said consulting engineers estimated potential reserves for a 5,000 acre portion of the Aljubarrota structure at 180 bcf of gas net to Doreal's 19.64% revenue interest. None of the reserves can be considered proved, but appraisal drilling could prove an accumulation of this size, the engineers said.
They based the estimate on a calculated 181.5 m of net pay out of the 900 m of gross limestone interval using cut-off values of 9% porosity and 50% water saturation.
Gulf of Mexico
Unocal Corp.'s US Lower 48 unit Spirit Energy 76, Sugar Land, Tex., temporarily abandoned its subsalt wildcat in 3,700 ft of water on the Sumatra prospect on Garden Banks Block 941. TD is 21,207 ft.
Spirit Energy, with 100% interest in Sumatra, intends to use a larger drillship, Discoverer Spirit, next year to continue drilling the well, which it said "encountered mechanical difficulties."
Alaska
US Minerals Management Service issued a call for information and nominations for proposed OCS Sale 176 in the Beaufort Sea adjoining the North Slope of Alaska.
The call area for the tentative early 2002 sale consists of 9.9 million acres 3 to 60 nautical miles off the coast in 25-200 ft of water.
A small part of the outer limits north of Harrison Bay is in as much as 3,000 ft of water.
California
Two companies let a contract for a 126-sq-mile, high-density 3D seismic survey in unspecified areas of Kern County in the southern San Joaquin basin.
Ivanhoe Energy Inc., Calgary, and Prime-X Oil & Gas LLC, Houston, commissioned the survey to image deep zones at 8,000-20,000 ft as well as shallower targets. Data recording will use a subsurface sample of 55 by 55 ft.
The companies are sharing 50-50 the $7.5 million cost of the survey and about 50,000 acres of leases. That brings Ivanhoe's position to 130,000 acres.
The survey is to start in November and could lead to drilling in mid-2000.
Texas
West
Huntington Energy LLC, Oklahoma City, completed a Devonian gas discovery in Culberson County.
The 1 China Draw, 7 miles northwest of Orla, flowed 3.222 MMcfd of gas on a 10/64 in. choke with 465 psi FTP and 6 bw/d from perforations at 11,879-12,036 ft. CAOF is 4.674 MMcfd, IHS Energy Group reported.
The new field discovery is just west of Geraldine oil field in Reeves County and 10 miles from nearest Devonian production.
Southwest
Blue Star Oil & Gas Ltd., a private Dallas partnership, will fund a 47 sq mile 3D seismic survey and the drilling of two exploratory wells to test Jurassic in the Maverick basin.
Blue Star will funding 100% of those costs on the Paloma Ranch and Kincaid Ranch leases held by The Exploration Co., San Antonio. It will also provide Txco the results of more new 3D data that Blue Star is acquiring on the adjacent 191,000 acre Chittim Ranch lease.
If both wells are drilled, Blue Star could earn as much as a 50% interest in deep rights on more than 50,000 acres.
Txco's gross daily gas production from Maverick County is 21.5 MMcfd.
Meanwhile, Txco and Ameritex Ventures II Ltd. said the 1-198 Kincaid, on the 17,000 acre Kincaid Ranch lease and 9 miles south of Prickly Pear gas field, is under completion in Upper Glen Rose and expected to produce less than 250 Mcfd of gas.