Sudan
Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, reported progress in southern Sudan, where it holds 25% of three exploration and two development blocks covering a combined 12.2 million acres in the Muglad basin.Five fields-Heglig, Unity, El Toor, El Nar, and Toma South, are under development. Gross production of 150,000 b/d is to start in late 1999 for shipment via 932 mile, 28 in. pipeline to a marine terminal at Port Sudan.
Through September 1998 a total of 110 successful oil wells have been drilled on the Heglig and Unity blocks. Six more were spudded in October, and nine wildcats and a major seismic program were planned for the drilling season that began in December 1998.
Discoveries have been made at Khairat, Garaad, and Khor Bhow that prove the existence of new trends east and west of the Heglig-Unity trend, and a late 1998 well indicates that El Toor field reserves could be much greater than the 1998 estimate of 34 million bbl proved and probable.
More than 100 untested prospects, leads, and anomalies have been identified, many of which are low risk and on trend with existing discoveries. Prospects tend to be in the range of 10 to 50 million bbl of potential reserves.
Drilling success rates averaged 76% to June 30, 1998. Drilling depths are 6,500-8,000 ft. Wells are expected to average 1,000-3,000 b/d on pump. Crudes are 25-40° gravity and paraffinic with pour points of 50-86° F. Sudanese blend crude from Heglig, Unity, and other fields is expected to average 34° gravity with a low sulfur content.
Viet Nam
Anzoil (Asia) Pte. Ltd. was moving in a Parker Drilling Co. rig in early February to spud the first of three wells in Song Tra Ly (D14) gas field.The second well is to be an exploratory well between D14 and Tien Hai gas fields. The third location is at the northwest edge of D14 field as currently mapped. Drilling depths are 3,200-3,800 m.
Anzoil plans to apply to extend the Hanoi basin production sharing contract to July 2000 from July 1999.
Mississippi
Two more drilling locations are proposed in the state's deep Ordovician gas play in the Maben field area.Fina Oil & Chemical Co., Houston, won pooling approval for the 1 Love Heirs, in 22-19n-12e, and 1 Richardson, 35-19n-12e, Oktibbeha County. Both are projected to 15,700 ft.
Meanwhile, state figures show production from Fina's 1 Sanders, in 27-19n-13e, averaged more than 5 MMcfd of gas in December 1998 from Ordovician Knox at 14,224-667 ft.
Fina is drilling the 1 Georgia Pacific, in 5-18n-12e, on the southwest side of Maben field (see map, OGJ, Dec. 21, 1998, p. 108). Devon Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, is a partner in the drilling program.
Texas
The well improves the potential that further fault blocks may be productive, said TransTexas Gas Corp., Houston, field operator.
The 1 State Tract 330, in Galveston County, flowed gas at the rate of 43.4 MMcfd in 12 hr on a 31/64 in. choke. Flow was constrained to minimize disturbance in the town of San Leon. TD is 17,000 ft measured depth.
The field's first three wells, all in the initial productive fault block, were producing a combined 58 MMcfd of gas and 9,000 b/d of condensate in early February.
New 3D seismic data and the new well's log hiked to 15 the number of potential well locations to be drilled.
The 1 S.T. 330 was drilled directionally from shore under Galveston Bay. Logs indicated 83 ft of potential net pay, with porosity of as much as 30%. At least the next two wells are to be drilled directionally from the same site.
Completion is at 9,034-68 ft. The well has 28 ft of net pay in two other Wilcox Lobo sands.
The company has staked two locations based on a 19 sq mile 3D seismic survey shot in mid-1998 in a joint program with Conoco. The two wells are to be drilled in first quarter.
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