Norwegian company Statoil AS reported Wednesday that it was unsure whether a small hydrocarbon find made via an exploration well in the Gullfaks area of the northern North Sea would be commercial. The well was drilled on Block 34/10 in a structure 10 km southwest of the operators' Gullfaks field. Statoil said a "thin hydrocarbon zone with good properties" had been proven.
Kestrel Energy Inc. affiliate Victoria Exploration NL will drill two wells in the San Joaquin basin beginning in May. The Eagle 1 well in Kings County follows a 1986 discovery with flow rates of 223 b/d of oil and 700 Mcfd of gas from the Gatchell sand. Kingfisher 1 is a multiple target structural trap targeting the Vedder and Domengine sands, as well as deeper Cretaceous sand zones.
Centurion Energy International Inc., Calgary, has spudded the El Wastani East-1 exploration well in the El Manzala concession in Egypt. This is the first of three planned wells.
Goodrich Petroleum Corp., Houston, said the LL&E No. 199 well on the Spyglass prospect in Lafitte field of Jefferson Parish, La., was dually completed in the 7900' and Upper Dupre sands and tested at a combined 300 b/d of oil. Goodrich owns 100% interest in the zones, subject to reversionary rights.
Egypt's Burullus Gas Co. has awarded subsea power and umbilical cables specialist Nexans SA a 23 million euro contract for the supply and installation of 100 km of umbilicals in the Nile Delta. The cables will deliver power, water and telecommunications to offshore platforms in the region, with the main 90-km cable being laid in waters between 250 and 850 m.
Canadian Superior Energy Inc., Calgary, and Geophysical Service Inc., Houston, are acquiring 1,100 km of seismic data over Canadian Superior's Marquis prospects off Nova Scotia.
TGS-NOPEC ASA, Oslo, has begun a nonexclusive 6,800 km 2D seismic survey covering the deepwater sector of the Taranaki basin off New Zealand. TGS also announced a plan to cooperate with Schlumberger Ltd.-Baker Hughes Inc. joint venture WesternGeco to acquire a nonexclusive 2,000 sq km 3D survey in the Norwegian Sea.
Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc., Houston, has production-tested the Pitchfork Ranch A-90 Well No. 1 in Matagorda County, Tex., at 10.5 MMcfd of gas and 1,500 b/d of condensate, said well partner Brigham Exploration Co., Austin, Tex. The well was under flowing tubing pressure of 6,100 psi. Brigham said the well drilled a 3D-delineated Frio bright spot. The well will come on stream at 14 MMcfed.
Argentine firm Perez Companc del Peru is presenting its environmental impact assessment in a public hearing in Talara on Apr. 27 to drill an exploration well in block XVI in Peru�s old north coast fields. Perez Companc signed a 30-year exploration and development license for the block on June 9, 1998, with a commitment to acquire 200 km of 2D seismic studies and drill five wells within its 7-year exploration stage.
Schlumberger Ltd.-Baker Hughes Inc. joint venture WesternGeco Thursday made available a new 250 sq km multiclient 3D survey of unlicensed acreage on Blocks 29/12 and 29/13 in the UK North Sea Central Graben area. The survey, taken along the western margin of Central Graben, was shot and processed using parameters including prestack time migration.