By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, June 21 -- ChevronTexaco Global Technology Services has made a significant natural gas discovery off Venezuela that it says advances its plan to evaluate Venezuela's first LNG project.
The Macuira 1X exploration well—Chrvron's first on Plataforma Deltana Block 3—encountered six gas intervals with total gross thickness of 140 m. It tested 51 MMscfd with restriction from two of the intervals, reported parent Chevron Corp.
Macuira 1X, which lies in 116 m of water 121 km off northeastern Venezuela, is on trend with and 24 km southeast of Loran gas field on adjacent Block 2, where the company drilled successful exploration wells in 2004 (OGJ Online, Dec. 13, 2004). Macuira 1X confirms that the prolific Columbus gas basin extends farther into Venezuelan waters and provides additional follow-up potential on the block, said Chevron.
LNG more likely
"Plataforma Deltana appears to now have the resources needed for a detailed evaluation of Venezuela's first LNG train," said Ali Moshiri, president of Chevron Latin America Upstream. "With final endorsement of the evaluation program, this will provide the blueprint for Chevron to proceed aggressively with Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA) and its partners in the region to make Venezuela's Plataforma Deltana LNG a reality by the end of this decade."
Chevron owns 100% of and operates Block 3. PDVSA has an option to back into the block for as much as 35% upon declaration of commerciality.
