Area Drilling

March 1, 1999
Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, Okla., said its Bolivian reserves more than doubled in 1998 to 459 bcfe. Nupuco X-103, a new field discovery on the Chaco concession, cut 108 ft of net pay in Carboniferous San Telmo and flowed 13.5 MMcfd of gas and 140 b/d of condensate. CAOF is 84 MMcfd. NJL X-104 is a new field discovery in Devonian Lower Iquiri on the Naranjillos concession. It cut 74 ft of net pay and flowed 5 MMcfd of gas and 150 b/d of condensate. More zones of potential pay are behind pipe.

Bolivia

Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, Okla., said its Bolivian reserves more than doubled in 1998 to 459 bcfe.

Nupuco X-103, a new field discovery on the Chaco concession, cut 108 ft of net pay in Carboniferous San Telmo and flowed 13.5 MMcfd of gas and 140 b/d of condensate. CAOF is 84 MMcfd.

NJL X-104 is a new field discovery in Devonian Lower Iquiri on the Naranjillos concession. It cut 74 ft of net pay and flowed 5 MMcfd of gas and 150 b/d of condensate. More zones of potential pay are behind pipe.

Logs indicated that NJL X-101 encountered three potentially significant zones with a combined 215 ft of potential net pay in Lower Carboniferous. NJL X-107 is being drilled toward Middle Devonian Los Monos at about 12,500 ft.

Vintage plans to drill several wells this year and next to test Iquiri and deeper Devonian Huamampampa.

The company's share of grandfathered volumes to be shipped via the Bolivia-Brazil gas pipeline later this year is a net 25 MMcfd. New capacity is to be allocated through a bidding process based on proved and probable reserves available to be dedicated for sale into Brazil.

The next tranche of 165 MMcfd of incremental sales for the next 7 years is to be auctioned in late first quarter 1999 with production to start in first quarter 2000.

Brazil

Agencia Nacional de Petroleo awarded the first license for a nonexclusive seismic survey off Brazil, a 2D regional well-tie grid in the Santos, Campos, and Espirito Santo basins (see map, OGJ, Jan. 25, 1999, p. 39).

The survey will total about 50,000 km and tie with more than 100 wells, said Spectrum Energy & Information Technology Ltd., Woking, U.K. Acquisition is to start in March 1999.

Pakistan

The government awarded an exploration license in Tal Block 3370 to a joint venture led by MOL Oil & Gas Co. BV of Hungary, Pakistan Petroleum Co., Oil and Gas Development Co., and government holdings.

Tal Block covers 4,644 sq km in Kohat Karak and Bannu districts and North Waziristan and Adam Khan agencies in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Working interests are MOL 35%, PPL and OGDC each 30%, and government holdings 5%, which can be raised to 20% after a commercial discovery.

The block was awarded through competitive bidding. Work program is a minimum of 2,000 line km of seismic reprocessing, 100 line km of new seismic acquisition, and drilling of a 3,000 m well subject to delineation of a viable prospect with a minimum expenditure obligation of about $5 million.

This is MOL's first operated joint venture in Pakistan.

California

Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co., Bakersfield, took leases that could lead to deep exploratory drilling in Kern County.

The company leased all or part of 26 sq miles between Lost Hills field southeast to 7 miles southwest of Shafter. It hopes to spud the first of as many as two or three wells to around 19,000 ft late this year.

Texas

South
Collins & Ware Inc., Midland, Tex., completed acquisition of South Texas properties on which it sees numerous opportunities for further development and exploration.

The acquired reserves total 12.3 million bbl of oil and 223.3 bcf of gas and change the company's reserve mix to 55% gas. The acquired properties produce more than 500 b/d of oil and condensate, 26.8 MMcfd of gas, and 1,100 b/d of natural gas liquids.

Main acquired property is Stratton/Agua Dulce field, Nueces, Jim Wells, and Kleberg counties. C&W now operates 471 completions in 330 active wells there and generally owns 100% working interest. Production is 37 MMcfd of gas and 133 b/d of oil. Vicksburg, Frio, and Miocene have produced at 2,500-9,000 ft. Substantial upside is anticipated.

Moca field, Webb County, is North America's most southwesterly salt dome. C&W now operates most of the field's 24 active wells. Production is 100 b/d of oil and 3.2 MMcfd of gas from Wilcox at about 5,000 ft.

C&W now operates most of Hugh Fitzsimmons field, Dimmit County. It yields 1 MMcfd of gas and 130 b/d of oil from 37 active wells in Upper Cretaceous Olmos and San Miguel at 2,500-4,000 ft.

C&W also acquired Kay Creek/McFadden field in Victoria County, where it now operates 12 wells producing 1.5 MMcfd of gas and 5 b/d of oil on about 6,911 surface acres. Main producing horizons are Frio and Miocene at 1,400-6,800 ft.

Gulf Coast
Arrow Exploration Co., Plano, Tex., plans more drilling in the Giddings Austin chalk play in Fayette County.

Its 1 Stamper, 21/2 miles west of Round Top, flowed 3.136 MMcfd of gas on a 24/64 in. choke with 120 b/d of condensate and 264 b/d of water with 1,075 psi FTP. CAOF is 4.6 MMcfd.

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