Area Drilling

Feb. 15, 1999
An Anadarko Petroleum Corp. group spudded its third Red Sea well, Edd 1, in mid-January on the Edd Block. The second well, Du Rig-Rig 1 on the Zula Block, was unsuccessful. TD is 2,200 m. The ministry awarded two tracts in the East Coast basin, which had its first two hydrocarbon finds in 1998.

Eritrea

An Anadarko Petroleum Corp. group spudded its third Red Sea well, Edd 1, in mid-January on the Edd Block. The second well, Du Rig-Rig 1 on the Zula Block, was unsuccessful. TD is 2,200 m.

New Zealand

The ministry awarded two tracts in the East Coast basin, which had its first two hydrocarbon finds in 1998. The 140 sq mile PEP 38335 went to Everest Energy Inc., Calgary, operator, 30%, Asia Pacific Oil Sdn. Bhd. of Malaysia, 45%, Trans-Orient Petroleum Ltd., Vancouver, B.C., 15%, and Indo-Pacific Energy Ltd., Vancouver, 10%. The permit includes the Waitaria-1 well, drilled in 1997 with gas shows (see map, OGJ, May 18, 1998, p. 78). The 1,273 sq mile PEP 38339 on and offshore went to Indo-Pacific, operator, and Trans-Orient 50-50. Exploration has been minimal. The permit is at the South Island northern coast in the southern East Coast basin. Initial work on PEP 38339 will take place along the Blind River anticline onshore. The tract includes the London Hill oil seep and several gas seeps. The offshore part of the permit covers the Clarence basin.

Nigeria

The country's Federal Environmental Protection Agency began final review of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co.'s application to drill for oil and gas at Barumbu village in Bauchi State, northern Nigeria. If approved, Shell would join Chevron Nigeria and Elf Petroleum in operating in the Benue trough, OPEC News Agency reported. Shell has spent more than $8 million on seismic surveys in northern Nigeria.

Norway

At least two potential fault terraces remain untested on the Manet Ridge in the southern More basin off Norway, and a new nonexclusive 2D seismic survey addresses this play and potential pinchouts along the flanks. Fugro-Geoteam AS, Oslo, completed processing a 2,407 km grid that covers parts of Norwegian quads 6201, 6202, and 6302 and adjacent parts of U.K. blocks 219 and 220. Manet Ridge contains a small 1987 Late Triassic oil discovery deemed noncommercial. North of Manet Ridge the regional component of the survey will investigate Tertiary fans, some of which were located on a Geoteam/SPT 1994 survey.

Pakistan

Pakistan Petroleum Ltd. will run a seismic survey of selected areas at Adhi gas field to pinpoint the location for a subthrust well to be drilled this year or in 2000. The field's original reserves were estimated at 116-234 bcf of gas. Adhi field gas sales have totaled about 6.4 bcf/year the past 2 years. Meanwhile, the government signed a 28.07 sq mile mining lease with a joint venture of Oil and Gas Development Co. and the Pakistan Oil Fields Ltd. at Chak Naurang, an oil field discovered in 1986 in Chakwal District, Punjab Province.

South Australia

Santos Murta Block Joint Venture gauged the Touriga 1 discovery 11 km west-northwest of Cabernet 1 and 43 km south-southwest of Moomba gas plant, Cooper-Eromanga basins. It flowed 5.4 MMcfd of gas on a 1/2 in. choke with 180 b/d of 55° gravity condensate from Early Permian Patcha- warra at 2,189-2,215 m.

British Columbia

Berkley Petroleum Corp., Calgary, is drilling four development wells in the first quarter of 1999 at Halfway River in the foothills region, where the company is rapidly developing an oil and gas discovery. With the four new wells, oil production is to reach 2,500 b/d in the second quarter. The first two wells are making 550 b/d/well. About 15 MMcfd of new gas production is expected from Halfway River and the adjacent Blueberry West property in the second quarter.

Mississippi

Gibraltar Energy Co., El Dorado, Ark., plans to dually complete an exploratory well near Bacon field, Chickasaw County, Black Warrior basin. The 1 Anderson 24-7, in 24-12s-4e, cut 29 ft of net pay in three sands. A dual completion is planned in Mississippian Lewis and Evans. Abernathy B, the upper zone, will not be tested until the lower zones have depleted, said Fortune Natural Resources Corp., Houston, 10% interest holder. TD is 2,715 ft. Century Offshore Management Corp., Metairie, La., plans to drill a deep test to Jurassic Norphlet in Thompsons Creek field. The 1 USA 25-10, in 25-7n-9w, Wayne County, is projected to 21,000 ft.

West Virginia

Three gas tests are planned in Randolph County along the Eastern Overthrust belt. Ardent Resources Inc., Bethel Park, Pa., staked the 1 Vance Unit, 6 miles west of Glady gas field; 1 Teter, 9 miles east-northeast of Glady field; and 1 Huffman, 9 miles northeast of Glady field. All target Devonian Oriskany at 8,750-9,200 ft, PI reported.

Texas

Gulf Coast
Hanson Production Co. and KCS Energy Inc. plan to begin drilling early this year under a four county exploration joint venture. The JV controls 41,500 acres in Fort Bend, DeWitt, Live Oak, and Kenedy counties. Objectives are Frio, Vicksburg, Yegua, and Wilcox at 10,750-15,000 ft. KCS holds 25% of the program. Ten of 11 prospects will be defined using 3D seismic data prior to drilling.
East
Union Pacific Resources Group. Inc. was starting production from seven wells making a combined 60 MMcfd of gas from Cretaceous Edwards in the North Giddings area of the Austin chalk trend. The seven vertical wells produce sour gas from Edwards about 1,500 ft deeper than Austin chalk in Fayette and southern Lee counties. A 60 MMcfd sweetening plant removes hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. The play consists of re-entering and deepening depleted Austin chalk wells. Cost is about half that of a new well from surface. UPR plans to drill one more well this year to extend the new field's northern boundary. It believes more Edwards opportunities may lie nearby. UPR, which will sell the plant to Duke Energy Field Services Inc., in March 1999, has dedicated production from a 500 sq mile area to the plant for 10 years.

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