Area Drilling

July 31, 2000
OMV AG, Vienna, resumed activities at onshore blocks 1, 4, and 5 with 49% partner Hellenic Petroleum, successor to the combined interests of Enterprise Oil Exploration Ltd., Clyde Expro PLC, and MOL Albania Oil & Gas Ltd.

Albania

OMV AG, Vienna, resumed activities at onshore blocks 1, 4, and 5 with 49% partner Hellenic Petroleum, successor to the combined interests of Enterprise Oil Exploration Ltd., Clyde Expro PLC, and MOL Albania Oil & Gas Ltd.

Geological and geophysical studies undertaken while the licenses were suspended confirmed the prospectivity of the acreage in an oil-proven province, OMV said.

OMV/Hellenic will start seismic acquisition and further geophysical investigations in late summer on Block 5 south of Vlora. It could drill a wildcat, and exploration spending is to total $19 million by yearend 2002.

Colombia

Petrobras Colombia Ltd., operator, and CMS Oil & Gas Co., the exploration and production unit of CMS Energy Corp., Dearborn, Mich., plan to drill several more horizontal wells in Matachin Norte field on the Espinal Block this year.

That follows completion of the horizontal Venganza 6H development well producing with an electric submersible pump at an initial flow rate of 4,705 bo/d and 44 bw/d from Guadalupe. Total production from the block, of which CMS Oil & Gas holds a 15% working interest, has increased to 12,000 bo/d.

The well follows Venganza 4H, which flowed more than 7,000 bo/d.

Egypt

Centurion Energy International Inc., Calgary, plans to start production in early 2001 from Wastani gas and condensate field, where in June it acquired the 60% working interest it did not previously own.

Centurion and former interest holder Marathon Oil Co. were awarded the 3,400-sq-km land block in mid-1995. Centurion plans to reenter and place on line two wells that flowed 21.1 MMcfd and 12.1 MMcfd of gas plus 300-500 b/d of condensate (OGJ, June 29, 1998, p. 40).

Georgia Republic

Ramco Energy PLC, Aberdeen, plans to spud its first well in October on the 3,350 sq km Kaheti Block X license in the Alzani Valley and Caucasus foothills.

With a planned TD of 2,000 m, Ziari-1's primary objectives are Upper Jurassic carbonates that have been thrust up to a drillable depth during uplift of the Greater Caucasus fold belt, Ramco said. This is a new play concept in the Gambori Range of foothills of the Greater Caucasus Mountains near the village of Ziari about 70 km east of Tbilisi.

Integration of modern geo-technical surveys and studies including 200 km of new seismic data, gravity, and geological modeling identified drillable prospects not previously recognized in the region, Ramco said.

Of 120 wells recorded on the block, most were shallow tests in Ildokani field in the 1960s-70s. None of the deeper wells that went to around 3,000 m had benefit of even modest-quality seismic surveys, the company said.

Iraq

ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL), the overseas arm of India's government-owned Oil & Natural Gas Corp., has joined domestic firm Reliance Industries Ltd. and Algerian state firm Sonatrach in a bid to secure the contract for the Tuba oil field development in Iraq.

Tuba, discovered in 1959, lies in southern Iraq between Rumaila and Zubair oil fields.

Sonatrach was a rival bidder for the field earlier. The idea of forming a three-way consortium is OVL's way of strengthening its chances of bagging Tuba, which reportedly could yield as much as 300,000 b/d of oil of medium and heavy crude.

Ireland

Enterprise Oil PLC of the UK, together with partners Statoil Exploration (Ireland) Ltd. and Marathon International Petroleum Hibernia Ltd., drilled a third successful appraisal well in Ireland's Corrib gas field.

The 18/20-3 appraisal well was drilled in the Slyne Trough about 70 km off the country's west coast. It flowed at rates as high as 60 MMcfd and will be suspended as a potential producer. Another well will be drilled at Corrib this summer.

Enterprise called the test "an important milestone" in the process of confirming the field's commerciality. It plans to seek project sanction in December.

Corrib, found in 1996, was the first significant find off Ireland since Marathon's Kinsale Head field in 1973.

Peru

Petrotech Peruana SA said it made an oil find with the LN-1X exploration well on Block Z-2B in 80 ft of water off Punta Balcones.

One zone flowed 300 b/d of 34 degrees gravity oil, the company said. The rest of the productive pay zone, Eocene Salina, has not yet been tested, said the firm.

Petrotech plans to drill two more wildcats this year on structures identified by seismic. So far this year, Petrotech has collected 348 km of 2D seismic and 64 sq km of 3D data. This is the second well drilled in Peru this year-the first was drilled onshore by Maple Gas Corp. in central jungle Block 31-D.

Nova Scotia

The government sought proposals by Aug. 21 for drilling for coalbed methane northeast of Halifax near Stellarton and New Glasgow.

The 3,600 acres offered have been estimated to contain 1.4 tcf of gas in place, the Nova Scotia Petroleum Directorate said.

Wyoming

Ultra Petroleum Corp., Houston, purchased a license from Veritas DGC Land Inc. on 182 sq miles of 3D seismic data covering 32n-109w to 30n-108w, Sublette County, that part of the Pinedale anticline south of the existing Mesa 3D survey in the Green River basin.

The purchase gave Ultra more than 250 sq miles of contiguous 3D data that cover the entire anticline and enabled the company to extend its interpretation from the anticline's northern part south to Jonah gas field. The field has been estimated to contain 3 tcf of recoverable gas in Cretaceous Lance at 11,000-12,500 ft spread among several operators (OGJ, May 18, 1998, p. 80). Ultra also spudded the first infill wells in a 22-well program set for second half 2000.