Exploration sector bounces back in France, possessions

Feb. 5, 2001
High oil prices last year pulled France's E&D scene out of its doldrums. Exploration investments that had not ceased decreasing since 1995 grew 55% to 85 million francs while development expenditure rose 59% to 457 million francs.

High oil prices last year pulled France's E&D scene out of its doldrums. Exploration investments that had not ceased decreasing since 1995 grew 55% to 85 million francs while development expenditure rose 59% to 457 million francs.

A number of operations planned for early 2000 were postponed because of a tornado that hit France at the end of 1999. Field work only really took place from second quarter. A dearth of drilling equipment in France also held up work. But in the end 19 holes were drilled compared with four in 1999.

The Aquitaine basin accounted for 67% of the production investment, and the Paris basin and other areas for the balance. The main companies involved in extension/development in 2000 were Elf AEPF with significant work at Lacq gas field; Vermilion Resources Ltd., Calgary, in the Parentis and Paris basins, and Esso Rep and Coparex Gascogne with the development of discoveries on Permis de Lège.

Work programs for 2001 and the interest shown by new companies for permits in France should maintain the overall activity this year but with a much larger effort in exploration. Expenditure in that area should more than triple to 345 million francs while development expenditure is expected to drop back to 361MF.

Despite the recovery in 2000 the declining trend of hydrocarbon production still prevails, albeit at a lower rate. Oil production fell 7.5% to 1.423 million tonnes versus 9.9% in 1999, while gas production declined 2.6% compared with 7.8% the previous year, to 2.923 billion cu m.

The acreage covered by exclusive research permits was 21% lower on Jan. 1, 2001, than a year earlier, falling from 49,636 sq km to 39,255 sq km as the number of permits fell from 38 to 33. That excludes the Saint Pierre et Miquelon permit in French territory off eastern Canada. This is mainly because the offshore 10,000 sq km Languedoc Roussillon Maritime permit off France was relinquished.

New permits were attributed to Vermilion Rep and Maurel & Prom in Aquitaine, while Madison/Chart acquired one of the three Paris basin permits. These companies also renewed permits in these areas.

New requests for permits involved areas such as Delta Profond du Rhône, Caravelle in Martinique, Guyana Maritime, and Kerguelen Maritime, a subantarctic, volcanic island group in the southern Indian Ocean.

Seismic runs were still at a low level last year. Noteworthy were the third 2D seismic reflection runs of 638 km operated by Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. and ExxonMobil Corp. from Oct. 17-Nov. 22 on the Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon Permit, carried out by GSI. Also on the Finistère and Finistère-Atlantique permits operated by Ranger Oil Ltd., now Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Calgary, a low-altitude, high resolution aeromagnetic campaign was run from June 18-Aug. 17; Ranger recorded 70,000 line km of magnetic surveys 100 m above sea surface.