Energy Partners Ltd., New Orleans, La., has budgeted $120 million for exploration and development in 2001, up 90% over 2000's expenditure. EPL operates in shallow to moderate depths in the Gulf of Mexico. It has operations in the East Bay and Greater Bay Marchand areas.
Clayton Williams Energy Inc., Midland, Tex., drilled 11 wells in South Louisiana last year and had three dry holes. The company plans to drill 27 prospects in the Sweetlake and Plaquemines Parish areas this year.
Santos Ltd., operator for the South West Queensland unit, had a zone discovery in the Queensland sector of the Cooper-Eromanga basins. Challum-19 flowed 212,380 cu m/day of gas through a 13-mm choke from a pre-Permian carbonate at 2,339-67 m. Nearby production is from the Permian Toolachee. Santos has 60.0625% of the block; Delhi Petroleum Pty. Ltd. 23.2%; Origin Energy Ltd. 16.5%; and Oil Co. of Australia 0.2375%.
DONG Efterforskning og Produktion AS, a unit of Danish company Dansk Olie og Naturgas AS, has abandoned appraisal well Nini-3 on block 5605/10-3 in the Danish North Sea. The well was drilled 1,811 m TD to the Danian. Oil was found in the Palaeogene. The rig was moving to drill wildcat Connie-1 on license 16/98 near the Cecilie discovery made in November (OGJ Online, Dec. 20, 2000).
Bligh Oil & Minerals NL of Australia plans to drill two wells on Block 22/12 in Beibu Gulf off China this year or in 2002.
Triton Energy Ltd. plugged its G-4 well off Equatorial Guinea. The well penetrated 138 ft of net oil pay in three zones and a drillstem test flowed 31�-gravity oil but sustained flow rate was not achieved. G-4 is 14 miles northeast of Ceiba-1 well.
The Petroleum Agency of South Africa has approved the award of an exploration sublease to Ranger Oil (South Africa) Ltd. for Block 11B/12B off the south coast. Ranger will acquire and process at least 3,000 sq km of 2D seismic data. The agency said this will be "the first time that significant exploration data will be collected over the deepwater offshore south coast (500m to 2000m water depth)." Ranger Oil (South Africa) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.
Statoil AS has spudded an exploration well on license 134B in the Norwegian Sea that will help determine whether it develops its Kristin gas/condensate field to the north. Saipem SpA's Scarabeo 5 rig will take 96 days to reach a TD of 5,000 m.