Albania
The government ended force majeure on two of three blocks operated by Occidental International Exploration & Production Co., said Lundin Oil AB, Stockholm. Block A remains under force majeure, lifted on Blocks 2 and 3. The blocks, awarded in June 1998, have been in force majeure since December 1998.
Drilling target is fourth quarter 2000 on the Shpiragu prospect, formerly Sqepuri, on Block 2. It is a subthrust structural feature with over 3,000 m of vertical closure. The partners have identified several additional large leads on existing seismic and Landsat images, Lundin said.
The blocks are located within and on trend with Albania's known petroleum system, where an estimated 1 billion bbl of recoverable reserves have been discovered. Most of Albania's existing oil fields are on Blocks 2 and 3, their current producing areas excluded from the permits. Deeper rights are not excluded.
Interests are Oxy 50%, Forest Oil Albania 30%, and Lundin 20%.
Bolivia
Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, was spudding NJL X-111 as a planned 20,000-ft exploratory well in Naranjillos field.
It is to test the deep Devonian Huamampampa and Santa Rosa formations. It is also to test Lower Iquiri in a downdip position that has the potential to extend field limits.
NJL X-118, to spud around midyear, is to target Huamampampa and Santa Rosa on a separate prospect.
Indonesia
Pertamina signed seven exploration and production contracts it said will be worth $112 million over the next 10 years.
Energy Equity Pty. Ltd., Perth, signed a production-sharing contract (PSC) on a block in Bone Bay off Sulawesi.
Kalrez Petroleum of Australia signed a PSC for the Bula block in the Maluku Sea, and Kuwait's Kufpec Indonesia Ltd. was awarded the Seram block in the same area.
A technical assistance contract went to Energy Equity for Gajah Besar field in South Sumatra. PT Indama Putera Kayapratama was awarded South Sumatera Kaya field under a TAC, and PT Binatek Reka Kruh was granted South Sumatra's Kruh field. PT Wahana Sad Karya and its Taiwanese partner, First Union Resources, received Jatirarangon field in West Java.
The ministry said it expects to sign more contracts later this year.
Iran
Tracer Petroleum Corp., Calgary, opened an office in Tehran and reported considerable progress in securing one or more oil and gas development opportunities in the country.
Papua New Guinea
Chevron Niugini Ltd. has acquired a farmout on Petroleum Prospecting License 206 in Papua New Guinea. Chevron has taken a 40% interest in return for funding an unspecified share of an exploration program.
Santos Ltd. of Australia operates the permit in the foreland region south of the Kutubu oil fields. It contains an undrilled prospect, Bosavi, identified via seismic in 1998.
Further seismic acquisition is to start shortly. Depending on results, a well is planned early in 2001. Santos' 48% stake in PPL 206 will be reduced to 30.5% subject to Chevron's farm-in contributions to seismic and drilling costs. Bligh Oil & Minerals NL's 48% interest will fall to 25.5%. And Garnet PNG Corp. and Niugini Energy Inc. will retain their current 2% interests in the permit.
Russia
The Ministry of Natural Resources Commission awarded Tyumen Oil Co. two 5-year gas exploration licenses in eastern Siberia.
The Khanda and Yuzhno-Ust Kut blocks are in Irkutsk administrative region near the China border. They are adjacent to giant Kovykta field being developed by the Rusia Petroleum consortium that includes BP Amoco.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Aramco made a seventh gas discovery near supergiant Ghawar oil field, the Saudi Press Agency said.
Al Manjora-1 was spudded in January about 30 km west of Ghawar field and 55 km northeast of Al Wudaihi gas field. On test, Al Majora-1 flowed 7 MMcfd of sweet gas and 200 b/d of condensate. Saudi Aramco plans to evaluate the well further to determine field reserves.
The other six finds are Haradh, Al Tinat, Al Wagar, Shamaa, Al Wudaihi, and Al Shaden.
Uzbekistan
State Uzbekneftegaz invited investors to develop eight oil and gas fields requiring total outlays of $242 million.
The fields, operated by Uzbekneftegaz, include North Shurtan, South Kyzylbairak, and Shakarbulak, which together produce 646,000 tonnes/year of oil. South Tandyrcha, Gumbulak, and Dzharkuduk fields produce 2.5 bcm/year of gas and 90,000 tonnes/year of condensate.
Uzbekneftegaz said $25 million in investments would be needed at Umid and South Kemachi fields in order to boost output to 100,000 tonnes/year of oil, 30,000 tonnes/year of condensate, and 2.0 billion cu m/year of gas. It did not mention their current production levels.
Also needed are a $45 million gas compressor station at Gaz* and a $20 million plant to utilize flared gas at Kokdumalak field.
Separately, Uzbekneftegaz Chairman Ibrat Zainutdinov said Uzbekistan will sell 49% of the shares of the company to foreign investors. The government will also sell stock in its other petroleum companies-Uzneftegazdobycha, Uzneftepererabotka, and Uzburneftegaz.
Louisiana
A group led by The Meridian Resource Corp., Houston, boosted production at South Thornwell field, Jefferson Davis Parish, to 85 Mmcfe of gas with completion of its ninth and tenth successful wells since finding the field in November 1998.
Another well is drilling, and further wells are planned later this year.
The 33-2 Lacassine flowed 14.9 MMcfd of gas and 739 b/d of oil from 91 ft of perforations at 11,732-859 ft through an 18/64-in. choke with flowing tubing pressure of 7,215 psi. Shut-in tubing pressure was 7,803 psi.
The Guidry No. 16-1 ST flowed 14.6 MMcfd of gas and 201 b/d of oil from 67 net ft of perforations at 11,506-608 ft through a 20/64-in. choke with flowing tubing pressure of 5,225 psi. Its shut-in pressure was 5,800 psi.
Interests are one-third each Meridian, Manti Operating Co., and Enron North American Corp.
Mississippi
The Canadian Delta Inc. unit of Westfort Energy Ltd., Toronto, sought a drilling permit for a deep test through Jurassic Norphlet in Pelahatchie field, Rankin County.
Site is 100 ft south of the same operator's 1 Pelahatchie Deep Unit 18-4, drilled to TD 17,234 ft in Norphlet in mid-1998 and abandoned due to mechanical problems. That well cut 107 net effective ft of oil and gas column in Norphlet.
An independent consulting engineer calculated that 19 other zones in seven formations combined with Norphlet contained recoverable volumes of 7.4 million bbl of oil, 35 bcf of gas, 103,817 long tons of sulfur, and 18 bcf of carbon dioxide.