Norsk Hydro AS officially signed a production-sharing agreement with Angolan state oil company Sonangol to acquire a 30% interest in Block 34 off Angola. The deal was announced in July (OGJ Online, July 16, 2001). Sonangol has been given the operatorship, and Hydro will provide technical assistance. The other participants in the license are Phillips Petroleum Co., Petroleo Brasileiro SA unit Braspetro, and Royal Dutch/Shell Group.
Italian company ENI SPA said the Blacktip-1 well on the WA-279-P Block off Australia found a gross hydrocarbon column of 339 m. Three production tests had cumulative production of 2.53 million cu m/day of gas. The well is in Bonaparte basin 300 km southwest of Darwin.
Phillips Petroleum Co. has awarded Kellogg Brown & Root, a business unit of Halliburton Co., two production services contracts for North Sea installations. The Jade field contract is worth £1.5 million over 5 years, and the Judy field contract is worth £10 million over 5 years. Both contracts have 5-year extension options.
Mærsk Olie og Gas AS, operator for the oil companies in license 4/97, said Erik-1X exploration well (5507/18-1) in the Danish part of the North Sea was dry. Erik-1X was drilled as a vertical well to 3,563 m below sea level. The well encountered the expected Triassic sands but found no commercial production.
Statoil AS said Longan well (6005/15-1) off the Faroe Islands on License 003 was dry. The partners in the license have committed to drill at least one more well.
