Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, Mar. 30 -- Natural gas has been found in wildcat well TE-5 drilled on Block C in Morocco, said well operator Maghreb Petroleum Exploration SA (MPE).
Of the four wells drilled on the block, MPE said, "TE-5 is the only well to flow gas."
The well was drilled to a depth of 2,683 m and encountered a pay zone of about 35 m in the TAGI sandstones. Schlumberger Ltd. carried out a 27-day flow test in which the average sustained flowing bottomhole pressure was about 20 bar at gauge depth with a 1-in. choke.
MPE Pres. and Chief Executive Richard Menkin told OGJ, "Although the gas flow was not large—about 0.4 MMscfd—there was no observable pressure drawdown during the well test. We believe there were mitigating circumstances for the relatively low flow rate, which is why we are continuing our work to further evaluate the commercial value of this discovery."
MPE and its partner, Moroccan national oil firm Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines, will further evaluate the well and the further potential of this area.
Prior to initiating its 2006 drilling program, MPE completed the first onshore 3D seismic survey in Morocco to complement existing 2D seismic and well data for this block, MPE added.
The Tendrara license is in northeastern Morocco near the Algerian border. It lies directly south of Oujda and east of Casablanca. The license comprises 7 blocks and covers an area of about 10,000 sq km.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].
