MELBOURNE�Perth-based explorer Amity Oil NL said it has made a 'significant' gas discovery in Turkey about 100 km west of Istanbul in permit AR/AOI/3589. The discovery well, a wildcat called Gocerler-1, flowed at a maximum stabilized rate of 12.4 MMcfd through a 42/64-in. choke at a flowing tubing pressure of 1,110 psi.
Amity, which is operator of a 50:50 joint venture in the permit area with the Turkish government-owned Turkish Petroleum AO, says test results suggest the maximum flow rate was limited by tubing size and that the reservoir is capable of a substantially larger flow rate.
Amity considers the find significant in light of high gas demand in Turkey, where producer prices are about $8.30(Aus.)/Mcf. This compares with a price of about $2 (Aus.)/Mcf paid for gas in Western Australia.
The zone tested was the upper 22 m of a 46-m thick sandstone sequence within the Tertiary-age Danismen Formation. The top of the well perforations are at a depth of 1,271 m.
Although this formation has flowed hydrocarbons in other areas, it was not the main target in the well. The original target was the Oligocene (mid-Tertiary) age Osmancik Formation lower in the sequence. However, this was found to be tight.
In contrast, the Danismen appears from logs to have a porosity of close to 25%. Amity�s managing director, Peter Allchurch, picked this formation as a secondary target after viewing logs from previous wells in the region. In times past, explorers have tended to drill through the Danismen with high mud weights without bothering to run tests to quickly reach the Osmancik.
The Gocerler structure is a seismically defined dome in the Thrace basin of western Turkey and appears capable of containing up to 70 bcf of gas reserves, said Amity.
Two additional sands (14 m and 13 m thick respectively) that are yet to be tested lie immediately above the Danismen discovery. Amity says these sands have similar wireline log responses and mud log gas shows as the tested horizon.
Gocerler-1 is 15 km from the nearest gas pipeline, owned by Turkish Petroleum. The nearest producing field is Yulafli, 15 km to the southeast.
Amity on Tuesday began a 6-day continuous production test through a test separator to gather quantitative data on associated condensate and put a figure on potential gas reserves assessed by the wildcat. On completion of the test, the joint venture will consider appraisal drilling and gas marketing.
In the meantime, the drilling rig is being moved to a second prospect, Velimese-1, a short distance away. The Velimese structure is similar to Gocerler's and is located 3.5 km from an existing producing gas field.