Area Drilling

Oct. 2, 2000
TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co., Houston, began a 9,500 km nonexclusive 2D seismic survey in 200-3,000 m of water off Liberia.

Liberia

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Co., Houston, began a 9,500 km nonexclusive 2D seismic survey in 200-3,000 m of water off Liberia.

The company also announced a 2D project off Sierra Leone, and both data sets will blanket the prospective parts of the Liberian geologic basin. A bid round in the area is set for mid-2001.

Nigeria

Agip Energy & Natural Resources has agreed to develop Oil Prospecting Lease 91, owned by NNPC's Nigerian Petroleum Development Co. unit, an NNPC official said.

OPL 91 contains Okpono and Okono fields, discovered in the late 1970s and 1980s in about 100 m of water. Combined reserves are 2.5 billion bbl.

The agreement calls for Agip and NPDC to jointly develop and operate the lease and for NPDC to take full control after 5 years. This would enhance NNPC's current efforts at capacity-building, which would eventually put the corporation at the level of other successful national oil companies, the official said.

Some contract points were still pending, but production from the fields was to start not later than 1 year after the final investment decision.

British Columbia

The province's raw gas reserves climbed 2.75% to 291.8 bcm while oil reserves held at about 56 million cu m at Dec. 31, 1999, the Oil & Gas Commission estimated.

BC had 925 oil and 1,922 gas wells on production at yearend, and 620 wells were drilled during 1999. Raw gas production totaled a record 23.5 bcm in 1999.

Newfoundland

Spending on oil and gas programs in and off Newfoundland totaled a record $1.5 billion (Canadian) in 1999, up 65% from 1998, the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board said.

Outlays included $252 million on the Grand Banks and $12.3 million on Newfoundland's west coast. They included $1.3 million in pre-development spending, $922 million for development, and $309.5 million for production.

Michigan

An exploratory play for gas in Devonian Antrim shale is taking shape north of Detroit more than 100 miles southeast of nearest Antrim production.

The activity has Shell Western E&P Inc. staking 10 locations in 9n- and 10n-15e and 10n-16e, Sanilac County, reports Michigan Oil & Gas News, Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Several wells have been drilled to Antrim in Sanilac, but none has produced commercially.

Nearest Antrim production is in Al- cona County.

New Mexico

Carbon Energy Corp., Denver, said its Bonneville Fuels Corp. unit will begin multiwell development shortly in the Avalon area of Eddy County, where it completed a Delaware sand producing well at about 3,500 ft.

The 2 Avalon Federal, in 1-21s-26e, flowed 130 b/d of oil and 200 Mcfd of gas. Logs indicated additional productive intervals in Delaware.

Wyoming

Abraxas Petroleum Corp., San Antonio, launching a horizontal drilling play for oil in Upper Cretaceous Turner sand in the Powder River basin, said as many as 150 locations might exist on its 62,000-acre block.

The 3H Middleton on the Brooks Draw prospect in 10-38n-67w, Niobrara County, flowed more than 300 b/d of oil and 250 Mcfd of gas from Turner at 8,200 ft TVD, 12,065 ft MD.

Abraxas previously completed the 4H Turner in Converse County at more than 200 b/d for 5 days, but it developed downhole mechanical problems and was shut-in. The company might re-enter and attempt completion in shallower Niobrara.

The 4H Peregrine Falcon in Converse, with a 4,200 ft lateral, was in completion as a twin to the 4H Turner, and the 3H Sage Grouse cut significant oil and gas shows in Niobrara and Turner during drilling.

Abraxas was restricting flow rates until a sales and processing can be arranged for the gas with quality reported as high as 1,600 Btu/Mcf.

Abraxas noted that three old vertical wells completed in Turner define a potential productive trend at least 7 miles long. The company based its economics on recovery of 300,000 bbl/well on 320 acres.